4
May 27, 1907.]
And now he rounds in foaming wrath to
bring bis guns to bear, So! Keep your luff, O courteous Don, and
hold it, if you dare ! You're big, we're small; we're short, you're
tall; you'll vex us not by sneers, Our King is not a Spadiard, and
Plymouth Buccaneers!' But the whole poem, from which we have selected a stanza, is as bloodthirsty as it is spirited. These episodes of cannon and cutlass, as also BYRON's treatment of a
we're
shipwreck, do not introduce us to the real sea, the normal, noumenal sea, nor acquaint us with that "mystic spell, which none but sailors know or feel." What FROUDE hoped for, and we would fain see, is some Odyssey in English that will contain the whole "lastingness of the sea, its sense of eternal unchange, as men at the tiller and the sheet absorb it. Not your racer and cup chaser, with his talk of measured sail area; he is as new as the century, and the sea gives him up as the Leviathan gave up Jonah. The junkman scudding past Waglan light, with the far-away look in his eyes, as he squats, ruminative, on the high poop,- he knows. The mournful creak of cordage, the brine hissing about her spurning foot, spoke to him just so when CONFUCIUS was chaffing
• his disciples, and when SOLOMON was buying foreign curios. Then, as now, just as if the intervening centuries had never been, the little seabirds dived, and flew, and dived again. Yet there are people who embark on Hongkong's beautiful waters who imagine that it is a matter of im- portance that they should be back in time for dinner. Ursa Major repeating for the n-th time his slow somersault is of less im- portance than that they should gorge various dishes in customary surroundings and dress. Nevertheless the man who is content to gnaw his crust humbly in the presence. of the wonders of the deep, he acquires the true perspective, and when he returns to shore, he has that within his soul that from many a blunder frees, and foolish notion.
To speak and write of such things, however, is to risk banality; these mysteries await their epic, their great singer.
THE COMMISSION (III.)
(Daily Press 25th May,)
can
Now that our readers have had the full text of the Report of the Commission appointed to investigate Sanitary Law Administration in Hongkong, and study in this issue the admirable historical vignette prepared by one of the Commis sioners, they are in a better position to consider the merits or demerita of the recommendations resulting from that in. vestigation. It is to be admitted to begin with that the Commission has discovered
"
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
#6
333
as being a Sanitary or Municipal Board's | simplify the present procedure. All plans in the Hon. Mr. F. H. MAY disagrees in toto. His by the Director of Public Works and those in concern, rather than as Public Works; but conformity with the Ordinance would be passed reasons, barring that he is an official, are
repect of which any modification was required a little extraordinary. He says in a Minute would meet regularly, say, once a week. It would be considered by the Committee which that an organisation composed of four co- equal heads of departments working under Works to notify the Medical Officer of Health would be the duty of the Director of Public a Board of six busy members of the Com- of all modifications granted by the Committee, munity and four busy officials, all of whom All matters affecting cubicles and cocklofts have their time already fully occupied, and should be placed under the control of the action of business, is one that, judged by Inspectors should continue to inspect all who meet once a fortnight for the trans- Sanitary Board and should not come before the the standard of common sense, is fore- buildings and should report to the Medical Building Authority in any way. The Sanitary
doomed to will be answered that it is not common provisions of the Ordinance, which may come to failure." We fear it Officer of Health all infractions of the eenae hut official prejudice that can thus their notice. easily discount the value of work done by is a plain implication that men with private busy members of the community." There business or profession cau accomplish no really useful public work, a postulate which is made ridiculous by the history of the Colony. Why was the Legislative Council not foredoomed to failure, judging by Mr. MAY's standard of commonsense? There may be better arguments against the change; let us seek for them in the Minute by the DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS. Most of it is an official defence of his own Department by Mr. CHATHAM, but on the new scheme he has this to say:
>
They propose that the Sanitary Board should be constituted the Building Authority cutive oficer for performing the duties coming with an Executive Engineer as the chief exe- within the scope of the Building Authority. To carry out the important duties devolving upon him, the executive officer must be given higher rank than that of an Executive En- gineer and must be approximately on an equal footing with the Director of Public Works. The Board cannot possibly exercise any con- trol in technical matters and their chief exe- enable him to do so." outive officer must have such a status as will
?
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can
That at
and equal footing?
What is this talk of higher rank
What
it should matter, except to Mr. Chatham? Why not the Sanitary Board have presume that would be the ambition of the an expert officer as great as he? We new Department, to get a man as good. Mr. CHATHAM goes on to argue that as most building operations interfere with roads and sewers, there would still be clashing; they would still have to call him in. Then again, adat, the Sanitary Board would learn when schemes involving resumption were valuable secrets at present locked in his own bosom, These things are regular incidents of administration everywhere; touch County roads, and private buildings municipal authorities pass buildings that that connect with public sewers. Hongkong, however, would lead to very little clashing, and certainly it would involve less entanglements and delays than exist at Present, which reduction is just what the his own proposal, which, as Commissioners aim at. Mr. CHATHAM has we have belittling of the Sanitary Board. He says: previously hinted, threatens the further ated. This establishes the argument that a change is necessary, and there remains only that the administration of practically the whole The proposal I would submit instead of it is to consider what sort of change. The Coin- of Part III of the Ordinance should be vested missioners recommend that there be two in the Director of Public Works, the present entirely separate" department. In theory reference of plans to the Medical Officer of the Public Works Department and the Health, the issue of certificates by that officer Sanitary Board have been separate, but and the supervision of certain items, such as there has been a clashing of their business concreting ground surfaces, &c. by the officers of ia practice. The P. W. D. under the new
the Board, being abolished. All powers of scheme of the Commissioners would confine should be vested in a small Committee, consist- modification, except those of a technical nature, its attention to
water supply, public ting, say, of 5 members, including the Director roads, sewers, etc., while a Sanitary and of Public Works who should be Chairman. Building Department' would have entire Reference to the Governor-in-Council should control of all Sanitary affairs, nuisances, this Committee, members of the Committee 'be limited to appeals from the decisions of etc., and the construction or alteration of buildings. Even a layman would define having the right of appeal in cases the business indicated by the italicised words vote. Such an arrangement would greatly where a decision is the result of a majority
an entire absence of system" [para 324], and that this official chaos, as we pointed out in our preliminary observations, is really responsible for all the evils enumer
66
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64
the Building Authority for the necessary action.
matterss other than cubicles and cocklofts, should All such reports, relating to
Such is my proposal in outline, and I believe it be passed by the Medical Officer of Health to
the Commission than the scheme put forward would be more likely to secure the objects of by them.
folded in the Report, is equally simple. We The scheme of the Commissioners, as un- need not quote it again. It provides for a proper system and organization of business allocating responsibility, and keeping a firm central grip that is at present lacking. It would destroy the anomaly of permitting the Board's servants to dictate to the Board, and it would save the broth from the arranges for "a proper systematizing of the spoiling hands of too many cooks. It
and work shirking is as dishonest as squeeze pidjin.
duties of the various members of the staff
+
there are many practical and sensible, From paragraph 357 onwards, details suggested, to which we can do no more here than re-direct the attention of our readers. The great question is whether the Hongkong public is going to let the work of this costly Commission be laid on the shelf, It is clear that if the OFFICER ADMINISTERING THE GOVERNMENT has his way, and other officials, it will get short shrift. They approach it in a spirit of hostility. They have looked for and found considered its merits. There is a weak points, but they have not as diligently Governor coming out shortly. It is for the public to show its concern, and to continue showing its concern. evolved for its benefit receive: at least fair consideration. We suggested that the with which our community is sometimes apparent apathy and lack of public spirit twitted was due to hopelessness, to despair of ever influencing the bureaucracy that rules us. There need be no such hopeless- for some reform, is bound to have its effect. ess. A united front, a unanimous claim
new
until the scheme
But rights, like favours, are not got from
officialdom without asking. We must ask, and ask often. Where are the letters to the newspapers in this matter, the unofficial plebiscite, the petition to the new Governor? Such things have been ignored sometimes in the past, but not always. Mr. SHELTON agitation has been effective before. The HOOPER's narrative shows that public
welcoming or farewelling governors. public has usually
found a voice in
that merely a mobbish fancy for pageants and trust not; and
ceremonies ? We hope not; We voice raised now. we expect to hear that
Is
Most of us are men accustomed to the privileges of citizenship: it is a pity if life in Hongkong is going to make us forget them altogether.
A private latter to Shanghai states thai H. E. Trên Ch'an-hsuen [Shum] has made Ministers in Peking that he is avoided by them himself so unpopular with the Princes and high as much as possible. In consequence of this asking for a provincial appointment. Sham is said to be seriously thinking of again
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