318
CHINESE RAILWAY SERVANTS.
(Daily Press, 13th May.) Theproverbial politeness of the Chinese does not always stand the test of new and alien circumstances. The native cere- moniousness at a tea party, say, finds no corresponding civility on an electric tram. The way in which the "end seat hog" monopolizes Hongkong trams is becoming serious enough to warrant the intervention of the management. The conductors, who, with very rare exceptions, are very well behaved towards the general public, might be instructed to discourage the habit that so many men have of sticking like a limpet to the end seat next the entrance, and blocking or making inconvenient access to the remaining seats. Judging by a formidable communication received yesterday from Swatow, the railway has worse effects upon manners than the tram has. Fifteen closely typed foolscap pages of complaints about the management of the Chao-chow and Swatow Railway Company Limited would overbur den our readers, so we skim them. It is the ticket-collectors, guards, and other servants of the railway by whom the public is "insulted, assaulted, and generally ill-used " there. One ticket-collector, suspecting that the luggage of "a spectacled Chinese gentle- man contained silver dollars, "liable to freight charge on the value" ordered it to be opened, and slapped the servant who refused. When the gentleman remonstrated, be too received a blow that smashed his spectacles. Being a Straits-born British subject, he naturally resented this, and lodged an official complaint. The ticket collectors on that line have a playful habit of awaking sleeping or inattentive passengers by kicking them on the shins-which is worse than the Hongkong tram conductor's method of prodding with a stiff forefinger. It is not the Japanese employes, our corre spondent states, but Chinese, who so grossly misbehave. The present arrangements ou the line, of stations, waiting rooms, ticket windows, entrances, and so on, throw all classes together, as our correspondent puts it, "into a complete state of hotch potch," and the subordinate officials apparently bave decided to simplify things by
alike like coolies. treating all
The effect of a uniform on a Chinese wearer seems to transform a peaceful workman into a truculent mandarin. However, the Railway authorities seem to deplore this state of things as unuch as body, and in reply to complaints urge that the railway has been operated only four months, and that it will take time to train servants. They have to begin in all cases with raw hands, and when they find one is not adaptable, they discharge him and try again. "Our patrons, too, as a rule, are unused to railways, and therefore make our work doubly hard." The man complained of had been dismissed, and ample apologies tendered, but still the touchy, Straits-born Chinese are not satisfied, and they proceed to attack the mild and apologetic management. ment of a railway should be perfect from the start. The manager or superintendent should not be an inexperienced man. No European railway company would take, as its manager or superintendent, any man simply because he happened to have invested his capital in the line It may be Chinese to become a Mandarin by paying money, but it is wrong to become a railway manager that way, because, while in the former case only the subjects of China are affected by the government of the maudarin, in the latter case the subjects of every nation in in the world are affected." Evidently
"The
any-
manage-
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
THE LIBERAL LEAGUE.
(May 18, 1907.
China has no more scornful_critic_than | It is evident too that in other affairs the the Straits born' Chinaman. He envies na less responsible members are venturing English doctor, the hero of an incident into dangerously unsettled-regions. It was incorporated in the dossier, who seized a by no skill on the part of the responsible obleky ticket-collector and held him up, members of the Cabinet, but owing to the as if to throw him off the train, while the wiser foresight of the Boer Leaders in, the rascal apologised and begged for mercy. Transvaal, that another contretemps, such as That is how he would treat all Chinese who followed Mr. GLADSTONE'S surrender after "do acts disgustable in the extreme to Majuba Hill, was narrowly averted; and delicately brought up persons." For this it is no credit to the Ministry that they Straits boru gentleman, whose chief com- have had to go to learn the business of plaint is that the new railway allows such government from the Colonial Premiers. a democratic mixture of passengers, is Property; Lord ROSEBERY points out with distressed by the "selfishness and con- the approbation even of the Liberal League, servativeness as are characteristic of the ---and it is this approbation that lends force sons of the Celestial Empire, which is quite to his words-is much more widely diffused a standing block in the way of reform," and than is generally supposed. You talk of strongly recommends European manage-taxing this, and you talk of taxing that, ment. The Singapore Government rust and you fancy you are only taxing dukes, have quite au easy time of it, with such whereas, as a matter of fact, vast com. swe tly reasonable subjects.
munities-cooperative societies, in fact, of workers are deeply interested in these very commodities, which you ignorantly think are solely confined to the much-moneyed class. In these practical matters of finance our colonial administrators are far ahead of (Daily Press 14th May).
our dilletaute free-traders of the Cobden LORD ROSEBERY is an accomplished man, Club stamp, who only know the practical a clever man, and an agreeable man; still he truths of finance, as our astronomers know lacks intensity of purpose, and this lack the canals of Mars, yet, who would will ever prevent him taking the first rank unhesitatingly settle the questions of Mar- in the national affairs. Still he has many tial irrigation without
any practical of the qualities usually accompanying acquaintance with the conditions of mastership, and amongst them is the faculty planetary life, other than afforded by of being generally capable of reading the gazing through the great telescope at the current of public opinion. Although, then, Lick Observatory. But it is not alone in as a foc not so dangerous as many men of Lord ROSEBERY's speech, remarkable as that-- far inferior ability, his recent declaration is under present conditions, that signs are with regard to the Government presided visible of a waking up from the fevered over by SIR HENRY CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN dreams of the last few years. The present will be damaging in the inverse ratio of his House of Commons, it is curious to note, ability for leading his party; for it is the was not returned with the object of carrying first overt pronouncement on the part of out any such progranime as His Majesty's a shrewd observer that the days of that ill-present Ministers have been seeking to assorted and inept association of iacon- thrust on the country. It was distinctly gruities are numbered. Characteristically returned with the view of counteracting Mr. Lord ROSEBERY commenced his speech by CHAMBERLAIN's proposed fiscal reforms; yet praising the Gov rnment. He could bardly it is curious to notice how the Government do otherwise at a meeting of the Liberal itself has found it necessary to begin the League, but even his praise was damaging. reform itself, even in the teeth of this Possibly no administration evor held office deliberate verdict, and how already the of which it might not be said that some of country at large is falling in with these its members were good; nobody has had for views. It is difficult to imagine how any instance a word to say in disfavour of Sir body of reasonable men could bave persuad- EDWARD GREY. That is nothing new, for ed themselves that they were fighting the his abilities were recognised even when he battle of Free Trade by leading their every neted as Parliamentary Secretary under Mr. support to the most unblushing practices of GLADSTONE.
a Protection aimed avowedly at undermining the industrial resources of the country; yet it was on such misrepresentations that the election was carried. In the face of this, and in line with Lord ROSEBERY'S warnings the action of the London Chamber of Commerce cannot be ignored. Mr. Faithful Begg, in carrying by a large majority of those present and represented, his amendment in favour of preferential trade with the Colonies, is evidently being upborne by the growing force of public opinion; and another indication that the country at large is also waking up to the fact that something better than politics are wanted is afforded by the recent rebellion against the visionary schemes of the late London County Council. The doctrinaries, in fact, overdid their part at the recent elections, and have committed the greatest of politica, crimes, that of being found out. If we could at home only succeed in getting ten years of government free from the narrow fetters of party, the country might begin once more to be great, and we might discover how immensely more worthy of our ambition. is the safety of the Empire than thể shibboleth of party. If Lord RoseBERI have aided in doing this he will have deserved well of his generation.
Both sides of the House too have recoguised Mr. HALDANE's high pur- pose, and although differing in details no one but feels that more nearly than anyone else he has been the first to bring forward a really practicable scheme without fear or favour. So again no one has been tempted through party spirit to throw a stone at Mr. MORLEY in his conduct of the India Department. But; and the But is a very big one indeed however much confidence the country may have in the individual members of the Cabinet, no one, and we speak advisably, call he himself Liberal, Conservative, or Unionist, has the slightest confidence in the Administration as a whole. As Lord ROSEBERY put it to his meeting, al no distant time it must find itself squeezed out between Socialism and Conservatism Socialism can make promises to the predatory elements in politics on the one hand, while on the other Conservatism must always commend itself to those who desire to keep things as they are; and as the lenders, or nominal leaders in the Cabinet are evidently permitting themselves to drift into the inquiet seas of disorder and plunder, the end
cannot be far off when the more respousible members will refuse to permit themselves to be dragged further,
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