October 2, 1905.7
These, Mr. E itor, are my experiences, and now I am prepared to pay any hing for even a emblance of comfort and decency. $75 may, keep a man for a month, but it is by no means comfortable, in fact hardly 10-p-ctable.Yours, etc.,
"HONGKONG EX-GRIFFIN." Hongkong. 21st September, 1905.
SOME HONGKONG FIGURES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS,'
SIE-I have just completed my firs' year in Hongkong, and I am stil, I suppose, a griffi, but my experiences my help in the discussi n about living expenses, e c. My sala y is 82 0 a month which even wi h the dollar at ls. 10d. is about three times what I got at home; and if my taipan is willing to renew my agreement' I do not want to go back. Things were cheap r at home (clerks included) but it took me six years to save what I have managed to hoard up here in twelve months-eleven, I may say, for therewas one month when I went“ the расе, and paid the greater part of my surplus away for chits. I sign no more now. Beide that, I got only two per cent for my savings, and, now get four and five. My monthly expenses work ou pretty much as follows:-
Board, lodging, and attendance ...$75 Washing
Boo s and shoes
Clothes (renewals!
Ricsha and trams (walking is cheap
exercis")
Tobacco (pipe)
Recreations (Swimming, cycling,
and reading)
Pocket money (for small curios, souvenirs, refreshments, post- age, &c.)
Total
$ 00
The other half goes into the bank; I never miss it; I pretend my salary is only the $100, and if I take a fancy to buy anything which would mean breaking into the savings, I go
without until I am "flush" enough without
doing so.
Trusting that this may be of use,-Yours truly,
'THRIFTY LAD."
GRIFFINS AND THEIR EXPENSES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE,
44
DAILY PRESS.
23rd September, 1905. SIB, I have read with inte est your editorial and correspondence on the griffins of to-day and their various experiences; and so far have never thought it wor h while to LSW-r & press letter; but the statement of monthly expenses given by "Thrifty Lad" ought not to p sa unchallenged, as anyone seeing it at home would have quite as a rong ideas as those given by the Taipans at home, or rather as is said is given by the home merchants.
E
In the first place I would like to say that I came out here under no mis pprehension, as I was told that on a salary of $200 I wud bale to gave very little, nd ti at I thi k is fairly correct. Personally I am a leet tallar, so that "Cocktail Hall" has no clams for me; but at the same time a club is necess ry if one wan's 10 come into contact with other peopl, read the home P pers and mx in society the equal to what que is used to at home; so tuat must be put down in the account.
8 condly, "Thrifty Lad" may be sati- d with a bearding house at $75 in the town, but it all d p-nds on what his circumstances in Enr. land wer. However, that can pass Also the other item regarding w. shing, hough I would point out that living in a place that must not be over clean, and in summer is boiling, $3 per month is not extravagant for washing even if a Chin se laundry is patronised with its sub- sequent evils.
16
Our friend also 8 ends, on what he calls euewa's," 88 per m nth for clothes. Une dozen white suits o st 24 per month, a d the man never came out to Hongkong iu the whole course of its existance who had an outfit that was 80 complete that nothing else need be bought. In fact in most cases it is very much the other way about.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Walking is cheap e ero se, as he s st s, but only ta ing $1 for rams, Ricshs, Chair, and Ferry is to say the last of it laughable.
However, the last two items are the worst, and I am sorry to think that anybody from the old untry should so misrepresent matters.
This la has no swin mg, no cycling, no tnnis. no crick-t, no too ball, no cigars, no d inks of any kind whatever, («nd living on the lower le el, thi k of i); and -can it le writter-10 reading. Mr. Editor, is it poss bl. Are there many in the clony like this? How will they increa e your circulition ? | And when he takes a "fancy" to anything he sares out of the 8100 and so does not spen any more? Really Sir, this Thrifty Lad must be a Scotchman who wrote his experience in a sarcastic v in and is now chuckling to himself at the astonish d queries tuat are going about "how ces b- do i ?"
k
31
When I sy that to live in this colony on the following amount. I do not look at life from the standpoint of either the one who thinks himself equal in all respects to a taipan, ·r one who has been brought up in a peasant's but, but m-rely as a normal being who is used to bing comfortable and can command a salary to make
one Ro.
Board, lodging and attendance Washing
Clothes
Ricsha, Trams, Chairs, Ferry Smoking
$.90
15
10
Club (or Y. M. C. A. with
recreations)
10
**
Boots
3
Sundries
10
Swimming, Cricket, Football or
Tennis..
Chemist (soap, dentrifice, etc). Amusements
+
9*9
$ 66
You will see that the $160 does not leave any- thing for "small curios, etc.. and I am not going to wind up by saying that when “ I take a fancy to buy anything I wat until I am flush," as many things that one can't put down in an account and th t do not happen every month have to be paid for, so that the old 34 dollars are not net profit.
Tuis question dep nds very much, of course. upon how one lives, but I defy even an Oldham weaver saving up for th "wakes" to say that the above is extravagant or not necessary, when you take into consideration the fact that one has not been economical unless you can show that you are also b-tter in mind and body after your engagement is finished. You will notice that the above table does not include any charge for studying anything, for which the charges in Hongkong are not small. Yours faithfully,
LANCASTRIAN.
Y.M.C.A. AND SOLDIERS.
(3
D
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY FRESS,
SIR, With reference to previous correspon- dence conce ning th· non-admission of soldiers to the Y.M.C.Â.. may I be allowed-through the medium of your paper-to a-k the r-ligious people of the Colony" if they approve of such proceedings. In the course of a few months a good number of sold ers l-ave t'e Colony fo Home, an I dare say they will not omit to make it as widely known s psibl that the Y.M.C.A. here is a o osed door to the sldier, Weald it not be very regrettable if, when ing so, they would be abl to say that real Christians failed to disapprove! I am etc.
DUNERA.
The Foochow Echo of Sept. 23 contains a hig ly appreciative obituary reference to the late Mr. Paul Bender, beal of the customs out door staff at Feochew. A German, aged only 36 years, Mr. Be: der hed spent an ad- ren urons and with useful li e. He beg n on sailing ves--ls and seal rs; joined the Cus toms at Canton in 1895; as transfered to Kowloon in the same year; and rapidly wo ked his way up. He went to Foochow in 1899, and In two years was an accomplished Mandarin #cholar.
285
NEW ROMAN. CATHOLIU
BISHOP.
CONSECRATION AT HONGKONG.
A very imp sing and interesting e remony took placeon the 1st October at the Roman Catholic Ca'h dral, this being the consecration of the Right Rev. Dominico Pozzoni, the Bishop of avia and Vicar Apostolic of Hong. k ng. The Consecrating Prel e was Bishop M-nicetti, who was assisted by Bishop Cemente of Amoy and bish p Mérel of Canion. The ca hedral was decorated in red and white cloth festoons for the occasion, and the effect was very pleasing. The congregation was exceptionally numerous. and amongst those present were Mr. R. A. B Ponsonby, represent- ing HE. the Governor; Admiral Jonquieres and several officers of the French cruiser Guichen; the Consul General for Portugal and Brezil. Senhor onselheiro Romano; the Con- sul General for Italy. Chev. Volpicelli; the Consuls for France, Belgium, Spain and Peru; the vice-c usul for Portugal, and a mandarin from Canton, who were all accommodated in special seats, Special accommodation was also provided for the presidents of the various reli- gious congregations in the Colony. The attend. ance of the clergy was large and representative, and included the Rev. Illidio de Gouvia, the Dean of Macao, representing the Bishop of Macao; Father Arkwright, representative o, the Jesuit Fathers of Macao; Fathers Floreau representing the clergy of Canton; A. Bran J Lecomt, represen ing the Marie-Bethanie Hospital; Father Noval; and all the priests of the French, Spanish and Italian missions. together with the Christian brothers and the sisters from the French and the Italian onvents. The Rev. 6. Spada act d as the master of ceremonies. The service began at 8.15, and after the Bishops had robed, the Very Rev. Father de Maria (the Pro-Vicar Apostolic) read the Apostolic mandate. The Bishop elect having taken the usual oath before the Cons er ting Prelite, the various rites of the consecration were gone through, the very solemn ceremony lasting for about two and a balf hours. After the new Bishop bad ben anointed he was invested with the crozier, cross, ring, gloves and mitre (which had been previously blessed) and then placed on his seat by the consecrating Bishop. The Te Deum was afterwards sung by the oboir and the clergy, during which the Assistant Bishops conducted the new Bishop round the church, who, as he passed. gave his bl asi g to the people. We understand that the crozier and the cross were from the late Bishop Piazza'i, while the ring (which was presented by Mrs. Romano) was very beautiful, being set in carbuncle and diamond. After t e new Bishop had returned to his seat. the Consecrating and Assistant Bishops, without mitres. stood at the Gospel side, the new Bishop went to the middle of the altar where s gning himself with the cross, be gave his blessing to the congregation. The Con corating and Assis ant Bishops remained as before, standing on the Gospel side, in their mitres, look nz tona ds the new Bish p, who proceded from the Epistle side twards them, ma ing in the way three rever- ences, and at each reverence saying to them: ! Ad multos annos „H« was 'hen received with the kiss of peace by the other B shop, who con. ducted h`m away, after saying the last Gospel of the Mass.
At the conclusion of the consecration service the v rious consuls and naval officers and the clergy r tired to the Mission House to pay their congratulations to the new dignitary in his rooms.
At 4 p.m. the various congregations and other religious institutions presented their address 8, inc`uding one from the native Christian, to the new Bishop, who retained thanks, expressing his acknowledgments in English.
A special feature was the large number of pat ve Christians who came over from their villages to attend the service.
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