180
rumours into reckless demonstrations of ill feeling. The officials and leaders have authority to arrest and bring to justice ny persons found To be spreading abroad rumours. It is my earnest desire that the people and merchants may carry on their business peaceably and con- tentedly, not giving heed to empty talk, or in- dulging in outbursts of anger. In this way Chinese and foreigners will be at rest, and together enjoy the benefits of peace.
The Chairman of the Municipal Council in acknowledging receipt of the document, wrote: -"The Council is not informed whether a translation of this document has received the attention of the Consular Body, but would point out that its terms are such as to preclude it from being posted in the Settlement and should properly form the subject of protest and
correction.
f+
While certain of the utterances contained in this proclamation are unobjectionable, the Coun- cil entirely objects, on behalf of the foreign com- munity, to a statement such as that contained in the opening paragraph of the document, namely, 'that the Shanghai Municipal Council is in its nature an institution provided for out of the funds contributed by natives and foreigners, cr in other words, a Police department under joint Chinese and foreign management.' There are other objectionable features in the proclamation, but the Council trusts that the above will be sufficient to justify the Consular Body in re- questing the Nanking Viceroy to withdraw the document entirely. It is to be observed that its text has been published in the native press, and if such statements by a high Chinese official are allowed to pass unchallenged, it is inevitable that a serious misconception of the true situa. tion must be created in the minds of the Chinese community.
THE SHANGHAI GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
At the annual meeting of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce Mr. W. D. Little presided.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND Municipal budget for 1906. During the past year Mr. Leslie J. Cubitt, who so ably filled the post of Secretary for some years, resigned. Mr. L. E. Canning was appointed Acting Secretary. and after so serving some months satisfactorily was promoted Secretary. Tuis appointment, however, requires your confirmation.
The Chairman, in the course of his address, said :—You will observe that our membership is somewhat larger than in the previous year-127 against 116-but it is not in my opinion as large as it should be. There used to be an idea that membership was only for princely houses and large firms. That is a mistako. All firms of repute, large or small, in any trade are wel- come. I notice the law trade they frequently apply to us for information--is not largely represented on our list of members. Our meet- ing to-day is a full month earlier than the meeting last year and some two months or more earlier than "custom," our endeavour being to get our report in your hands as soon as possible after the close of the year. I have, therefore. only eleven months' work to refer to to-day. Coinage and Conservancy matters continue to bave our careful attention. I believe that the Chinese Government is really endeavouring to tackle the former question. Conservancy Board arrangements have given some cause for anxiety and we have already addressed one letter to the Senior Consul, The Senior Consul in reply to our letter of the 7th February informed us that appointments to the Con. servancy Board "did not come within the province of the Consular Body." I note from the papers inent engineer, Mr. de Rijke, in whose ability, this Chamber has every confidence, arrived by a recent mail. What arrangements he has made or whether they are progressing I do not know. I heard, unofficially, that he has stipulated that the appointment of assistants should be in his own hands. I may here refer to an important matter:-that of jetties for landing and shipping of cargo. Shanghai is a trading place and the requirements of merchants and traders have our first consideration. Ade- quate facility at Municipal jetties is of the utmost importance, directly or indirectly, to all residents. I am glad to be able to supplement the information in our report referring to the present inadequate accommodation, with the statement that the Municipal Council have com- pleted a scheme, which I understand the Cus- toms and Harbour authorities are likely to sup- port, for extended facilities, and that the cost of the new pontoons has been included in the
that that ém.
Mr. L. J. Cubitt suggested for the considera. tion of the incoming committee that some of the satisfactory balance be devoted towards the acquisition of an adequate reference library They had certain standard works of reference but the might profitably be added to.
The Chairmau said the suggestion was a good one and the secretary would made a note of it. The Chairman proposed the adoption of the report and accounts for the year 1915. Mr. Stern seconded, and the resolution was carried. The Chairman said he took it the passing of the report confirmed the appointment of Mr. Canning as Secretary. He proposed that the Secretary be instructed to collect Tls. 20 instead of Tls. 30 from members as subscription for 1906. Mr. A. McLeod seconded, and the resolutiou was carried with one dissentient.
The Chairman said the next business was to
pass the scale of commissions and brokerages. The Committee was asked some time ago to revise the official Chamber of Commerce scale.
The last published scale was 1888. The list had been in the hands of members some days. Since it was issued Messrs. Sander, Wieler & Co. had written in reference to one item. They said :-
"We are in receipt of your scale of commis sions and brokerages for adoption, and flad that you omitted in this scale the rates of commissions and brokerages for the sale of steamers. This would probably come under the beading of 'on charters effected '5 per cent, and, 'brokerage on charter effected' 1 per cent, and we would recommend to add the words and sales, so that the position would read on charters and sales effected 5 per cent, and brokerages, charters and sales effected' 14 per cent."
༤
The Chairman said that was the only comment made on the list. He would be glad to hear the remarks of any member on the subject.
There being no remarks the Chairman proposed that the scale of commissions and brokerages as circulated, but with the addition made in the letter of Messrs, Sander, Wieler & Co., be adopted. Mr. W. J. Gresson seconded, and the resolution was carried.
Mr. Cubitt proposed that the Committeo be elected as follows:-Messrs. E. de Bavier, C. Brodersen, L. Bridou, Sir C. Dudgeon, W. J. Gresson, H. E. R. Hunter, J. N. Jameson, H. R. Kinnear, A. Korff, A. M. Marshall, H. W. Robertson, and J. Stern.
Mr. C. Iburg seconded, and the motion was carried.
The Chairman invited discussion on any subject which any member wished to hring before the meeting, but the only further business done was the passing of a vote of thanks to the Chairman.
A GREAT RAFT FOR SHANGHAI,
will be manifest in the towing from San Considerable interest, says a Manila paper, Fraucisca, Cal., to Shanghai, China, of the largest raft of logs ever constructed. This raft will contain 10.000,000 feet of spars and piling. It will be valued at $60,000, and the logs will be bound together by 10 tons of iron chain. Several powerful sea-going tugs will tow the raft by means of a six or eight-inch hawser. About 9,000 miles will be covered
in the distance from the Pacific coast to China. The pine piles are
from 80 to 110 feet long. They are arranged in such a manner that the abutting end of one pile is placed opposite to the middle of the adjacent pile, after the fashion of brick laying. The raft is cigar-shaped, showing from seven to ten feet above water. Great chains hold the raft
together, and each chain is complete in itself and the ends are shackled on a turnbuckle on the top of the raft.
Mr. T. C. Ramsey, who was charged at Wei- haiwei with having received a quantity of army blankets, well kuowing them to have been stolen, has been acquitted,
March 10, 1906.
THE NANGCHANG|MASSACRE.
Nanobang are best given in the following The accounts of the deplorable murders at form:
THE CATHOLIC M1881ONARIES' VERSION. This version is given by our French con- information which we have received from the temporary
L'Indo-Chine as follows :-The
has appeared up till bes sources, differs very much from that which ow, above all in the Chinese press.
The telegrams that the un- their superiors duri g the 23rd inst. make it fotunate missionaries had yat time to send to
known that, invited to a dinner at the mission to settle amicibly certain matters in dispute, the sub-prefect, doubtless in fear that he would Chinese authorities, and would thus lose face not be able to settle it in the way wished by the
ting his throat. On his part the Governor with his superiors, committed suicide by out-
declares that, having been invited to dinner at he mission and in the course of the discussion which took place for the adjustment of the affairs
and of Tang-pou
of Chekiang, and that, overcoming his pain, he had written the sub-prefect was wounded by a knife,
with his own hand that there had been that, moreover, the people of the mission had no alternative before him except suicide, and struck him.
the people, as excited as those who are acquainted Immediately on the suicido at the mission,
missionaries of having killed the sub-prefect, with Chinese manners can imagine, accused the and it was this view that found expression in the teleg aus addressed to the Chinese journals of Shanghai by their correspondents at Nan- chang. On Sunday about 10 a.m. under the influence of the rumours spread in the city, the crowd flung themselves on the mission, where they delivered over to massacre the missionaries and the professing brothers, and destroyed the building indicated above.
The Sisters of Charity and threa Fathers named Salavert, Rossignol, and Martin were, able to save themselves and escape to Kiukiang.
The Governor of Nanchang, who had pro mised the Waiwupu to assure the defence of the mission, allowed himself to be swayed by the mob.
THE NATIVE ACCOUNT,
one
Daily News) states that the district magistrate; The Sinwenpao (as translated by the N.-C.
ferring with the French Roman Catholic priests of Nanchang, Chiang Chao-i'ang, was con-
nuder instructions of Governor Hu Ting-kan of Kiangsi, when he was assaulted and wounded by three Roman Catholic priests of of whom the Chinese name is Wang Kuo-an. The priests wished to compel the magistrate to sign his consent to three of their demands, viz.: (1) the payment of heavy indemnity for cashiering of certain members of the Nanchang some previous riot; (2) the degradation or gentry hostile to the Roman Catholics; and (3) the release of certain converts who were in confinement for being concerned in breaking the law. These demands the magis- trate firmly resisted even when threatened with injury by the priests who finally killed the official for refusing to be coerced. The same paper further states that the conduct of the priests was generally deprecated by the converts of Nanchang, and that Governor Ha Ting-kan sent four hundred troops to guard the mission premises, in the first place to prevent the populace from trying to get revenge
on the Roman Catholics for the death of the magistrate, and on the other hand to prevent the escape of the priests charged with killing that official. Finally, in commenting upon a report circulating amongst the Roman Catholic converts here that “probably magistrate Chiang Chao-tang, seeing that he could not get what ho wanted, had stabbed himself in his anger," the Sintenpao declares tha: such a statement is absurd on the face of it, as it was ridiculous that the magistrate could have gone armed with a knife to the dinner, since such instruments are conspicuous by their absence in any Chinese: banquet.
AN ALLEGED OFFICIAL ACCOUNT.
11
1
The astonishing and very unconvincing extract, which we print below, from what the N.-C. Daily News is assured is a translation of an official report sent by Viceroy Chou Fu at Nanking to the Waiwupu and by them be
1
{
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.