4.
November 3, 1906.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
CORRESPONDENCE.
THE MEANS OF PLAGUE INFECTION.
14
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
SIR. notice that at Tuesday's meeting of the Sanitary Board the President (Dr. Atkinson) is reported to have stated that "all conclusion that fleas are the most active agent those who have studied plague have come to the
in the transmission of plague.”
It is proposed to partially fill in the Old Dock. leaving access for lighters (but to keep this open it will have to be dredged continually. which would be a heavy expense) and to build four-story godowns round the dock, thus enabling the lighters to discharge direct into the godowns. The cost of this work, which is to include all the latest scientific appliances for handling cargo, is estimated at Tls. 400,000, On the Cosmopolitan Dock property, which ex- tends to 110 mows, and has a river frontage permitting the berthing of three steamers, it is proposed to erect wharves and build six four
It would be interesting to learn how long storied godowns, at a total cost including all
reached since “oll who have studied plague appliances necessary for handling cargo of 1 Tis. 600,000. The total expenditure on the this conclusion. Has the Clovernment bacterio- the subject? If developing of the property would thus be Tls.logist altered his views on
that point to the have prepared the Sanitary Board would members for the President's announcement which took away the breath of the Registrar-General! Dr. Hunter in a report on the results of an examination of animals for plagne in 1903
1,000,000 so that there would be a balance of the debenture issue available for contingencies of Tls. 220,000. and an authorised issua of share capital of Tls. 400,000 which could be issued as required. The promoters of the scheme express themselves as confident that there will be no diffculty in obtaining the Tls, 1.200,000 de- bentures which it is proposed to issue. We have, however, some doubts as to the likelihood of the scheme coming to fruition. It must be admitted that seven per cent, on debentures with the excellent security proposed is very good interest, so it is possible. even in the present stringent condition of the money market, that the neces- sary funds could be raised. We are not so sure, however, that the shareholders of the Shanghai Dook and Engineering Company, Limited, will consent to the scheme. If cash were to be paid for the property, it is likely that there wo ld be a fairly unanimous vote to dispose of the property at the price proposed even although it is said to be under its market value, which is very doubtful, bat it is unlikely that the promoters will be able to offer anything but shares in the new company. It is true that wharf companies are at present paying concerns, but the profits realised by these companies are largely owing to a congestio of cargoes. Four or five years hence, which is about the time which would be required to place the proposed company in a position to earn dividends, it is probable that the present. congestion will have entirely disappeared, and the present wharf companies may then be in a position to easily handle all cargoes arriving at
hanghai, which in three years' time
喜欢
*srs. Butterfield and Swire's wharves will be finished on the Pootung side, therefore it is by no means certain that large dividends would be earned. On the other hand, the Dock Company would be disposing of a large portion of their assets, to balance which an immediate
reduction of capital would ansns although then the earning powers might be in no way dim- inished. It is probable that these considerations will weigh largely with shareholders and nuder the present circumstances we shall not be surprised if the proposals are rejected, for many believe the scheme to be merely a speculative bubble. [It was, however, adopted. See p. 1.]
KULANGSU (AMOY) MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.
Minutes of a meeting of the Municipal Council, Fulangen, Amov, held at the Board room on the 9th October, 1906.
Present:-Mesers. F. B. Marshall (Chair man), C.. A. V. Powra. A F. Gardiner. I. Takatsuki, W. H. Wallace, the Health Officer and the Secretary,
1. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.
2. The Superintendent of Police reported the following cases have been dealt with at the -Mixed Court since the last meeting:-
SUMMONSES :
Assault 2. Illegal detention of property 1. Debt 2. Wife desertion 1.
[
SUMMARY ARRESTS,
On suspicion, being found on private premises for at unlawful purpose 1. Assault 1,Tunatic found wandering at large 1. Theft 3. Com- mitting a nuisance 1.
3. Qrdinary routine business was transacted.
(Signed) FRED. B. MARSHALL,
Chairman, By Order.
BERKELEY MITCH LL Secretary K.M.C.
on a communication
wrote:-
11
"Fleas found on rats have bee found nia- fected with the plague bacilli. These apparently do not bile the human species. On several occasions I have had these flas on my hands, but never experienced a bite. Ash- burton Thompson confirms the statements of Battleliner, Gaertner and others that the species of flea infesting rats does not infest for him. They will feed upon human blood if man, but on the other hand have no repugnance
they be hungry. The human flea is said to be So that there are two chances cosmopolitan
as an important point to bear in mind when ngainst the human subject hein bitten by rat considering the role played by snctorial insects in the dissemination of plague amongst the
human race."
The italics in the above extract are Dr. Hunter's own, and nothing that I am aware of has since been published in which the Govern. ment Bacteriologist has announced his conver- sion to the flex theory of plague infection.
I recall this report now hecause it struck me very much at the time it was published, for to the lay mind nothing would seem more likely than that the flax acted as the distribut. ing agent of the plagus germ in just the same way as the mosquito transmits malaria -Yours.
LAYMAN.
THE MILITARY RELIEFS, Î
The Third Battalion of the Middlesex
Regiment (The Duke of Cambridge's Own) disembarked on October 31st and took up their temporary quarters pending the departure of the West Kents on the Parade Ground, where tents have been erected. The following officers arrived by the transport Soudan," under the command
of Commander S.
de P. Lockyer, RN R. Lient,-Colonel Wm. Scott Moncrieff, Major E. W. B. Stephenson, Captains W. H C. Divy, B. A. Thompson, Wm. Miller and J. S. Cunningham; Lieuten. ants H. E. Large. Vere L. N. Pearson, C. D. Drew ard J. Fixon Second Lieutenants Macdonald and Fasken.
Lieutenant and Quarter Master W. Faleber, Sergt. Major Deason, Band-Master Calthorpe, Quarter Master Sergeant King, and 435 men.
Colonel Reid, Lieut.-Colonel Carter and Captain Collingwood were also passengers for Hongkong.
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313
THE TYPHOON SUBSCRIPTION 2.
The following official correspondence~is published for public information :---
Telegram from Secretary of State, London, to Governor, Hongkong, dated 24th September, 1906. "Am I right in assuming that resources of Colony will be able to meet distress caused by
outside. typhoon without recourse to assistance from
Telegraph reply."
Reply from Governor, Hongkong, dated 25th September, 1906.
*
Referring to your telegram September 24th now anticipated that private European and Chinese subscription will reach $125,000.
Government of Hongkong will vote equal amount. These sums will suffice for relief of
for
craft survivors and replacing native necessary for trade of Colony.
So many entire families have been lost that number to be relieved is relatively small to
extent of disaster."
D'suatch from Secretary of State dated 28th September, 1906 :-
Downing Street, No. 186.
28th September, 1906 SIR.—I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram of the 25th instant, in reply to my enquiry whether the resources of the Colony would be sufficient to meet the ont recourse to help from outside. My enquiry distress caused by the recent typhoon with.
was suggested by a telegram from the Governor of Mauritins, asking if help was required.
large sum raised by subscription amongst the I have learnt with much gratification of the inhabitants of Hongkong, both European and Chinese, and I gladly approve the proposal
to vote a similar sum of $125,000 from Colonial funds. The Colony has mat this disaster with a prompt generosity thoroughly in accordance with its traditions.—I have, alc. -
(Sd.) ELGIN, Governor Sir M. Nathan, K.C.M.G
alo., etc., etc.,
MYSTERIOUS SUICIDE.
TOURIST TAKES POISON,
Charles Waddington, a visitor to Hongkong ended his life on the 31st October in one of the hotels by swallowing a dose of opinm.
The deceased, who is a young man, arrived here from Shanghai by the Ava Maru on September 29th, and according to the entry in the hotel visitors' book, came eastward from London. Although apparently a total stranger in Hongkong, he was evidently a man of means, for when his effects were searched $400 wére
one
found, and it was seen that he had been lately travelling in Japan. He remained at the hotel during his stay and took his On Tuesday meals in the dining room.
retired to his evening after dinner he room asking a "boy" to get him a large Next day, as he did not jug of hot water. appear at breakfast or tiffia, and there was no
sound within his room, the police were called in to make sure that all was well.. After kaook-
ing at his door and receiving no reply, they
entered and found the man almost dead. In response to a call Drs. Forsyth and Stedman were prompt in arrival, but when they entered
EUROPEAN GIRL FOUND DROWNED. they found that the spark of life had fled
SUPPOSED SUICIDE.
At about 10 a.m. on October 31st a wate"- works coolie found the lifeless body of a Euro- pean girl in the catchwater above the Pokfulam reservoir at West Point, and reported the matter at No. 7 Police Station. The police removed the body, and on inquiries being made it was fond to be that of Emily Ellen Wade, a nursemaid. She was last seen alive at about ten o'clock on Tuesday morning, and when found on the morning following was fully dressed, and her hat was lying on the bank of the pond. No marks of violence were found on the body. She had spent some years in Hongkong and had made many friauds who will grieve to hear of her sad end.
Beside deceased's bei the jug of water he had ordered on the previous night was found, also a mixture of raw opiam and water, sufficient evidence to show the canse of death. The
made police
to have the arrangements body photographed, after which it was removed to the mortuary. Under the pillow of his bed was found a loaded five-chambered revolver, and bottles containing various kinds of poison were found in the room. The only clue to deceased's identity was the name on bis | bag, and which -he also entered in the hotel
book.
He appears.
before swallowing the fatal draught, to have disposed of all his personal papers, a fact which manifestly shows that the decision to end his days had been
contemplated for sometime,
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