September 16, 1907.]
coffin was placed inside the chapel and & profusion of floral tributes to the memory of the deceased was sent by many friends and representatives of bongs in Shanghai.
The procession from the chapel to the grave was a long cne, there being present representa- tives of deceased's firm, the Municipal Council, Bruce, Peebles and Co., the British Consulate | and Supreme Court, all the principal hongs, the Stock Exobange, many Masonic brethern and others. The Pall Bearers were Mesars C.
M. Bain, E. T. J. Blount, P. Crighton, Grant McKenzie, C. C. A. Warn, P. P. Sheldon, A. A. Brady, and A. M. Maclean.
JAPAN.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Tokyo, August 29th.
THE SEASONS.
It is a common experience of persons just arrived in Japan to find that many fired notions regarding the country are hopelessly wrong. In the matter of weather they believe there are bard and fast seasons such as the wet 88800 and the dry season, and that the climate is more or less tropical.
But there is as much
variety of climate here as in England-it is often as cold and it is generally hotter in the summer season, and these couditions can occur at the wrong time of the year just the same, For example the last wat season here Was not remarkable, but at present, when it is supposed to be a diy hot season, we are in the middle of a spell of rain the equal of which has not been experienced for fifty years past. Its effects are disa trous and the loss of life and property enormous.
HAVOC BY THE FLOOD.
Reginning with August 23rd the rain fell con inuously till yesterday, the 28th, this being the grand finale after a month of more or less wet weather. The results of this excessive rain can only be properly understood by those who are acquainted with Japan, where what are called rivers are for the greater part of the year mere streams coursing down broad river beds. In the past few days these river beds bave been filled to over-flowing. The smiling country of a week ago has been turned into a laud of de olation, consequent upon the bursting of the embankments and the flooding of the country round. The position of Tokyo is unique, the city, ordinarily surrounded by richly cultivated plains being now the centre of many square miles of submerged fields. The calamity, however, is one the people are not unused to, in a less, degree. Heavy rains yearly cause more or less destruction, and to build effective barrier against these torrents would mean a huge expenditure, which the country is unable or unwilling to bear.
A RAILWAY BREAKDOWN.
The most
a
remarkable incident of the floods has been the breakdown of the busiest railway of the country, that between Tokyo and Yokohama, Traffic was stopped on Saturday evening, the 24th, and was not resumed until yesterday, the 28th, four clear days of suspension. What this means to the business community cannot be estimated. The electric railway service was also suspended. and the only means of communication between the two posts was very unsatisfactory boat service, which seems, however, to have teen the best that could ba organised. But the boats, which left each end only four or five times a day, could accam. modale only about one quarter of those who des'red a passage, hundreds of disappointed persons crowding round each departure. In one case two families of foreign tourists, six persons in all, unable to travel by the boats because they had luggage, hired a small steamer at a cost of 85 yen,.anxious to get away from Yokokama, where the water supply was cut off owing to the bursting of the piping. Mail delivery of course has been a very irregular process, and judging from the accounts of trackloads of mail being shipped on already crowded vessels, one wonders why the Govern ment did not make use of a few of the des'royers at Yokosuka or other or ft for this special purpose. It is perhaps not
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
generous to criticise the authorities at
a
such time of helples-ness before the elements, but the late experiences would be of some benefit if some national effort were made to strengthen, the weak pl oss in the railways and the river embankments, instead of patching them up, only to be destroyed by the next great rainfall.
THE S ARE MARK&T.
is
pa.
At this season of the year the share market generally inactive, but owing to the unfortunate depression that has been felt from the beginning floods and more still to the fire at Hakodate the
of the year, is now accentuated, and the pes. simists are for the time-being in the ascendant. As a result of the floods four days' inactivity of the Keihin Electric Railway have sent these shares down several points, but the whole market is more severely hit by the Hakodat fire. Probably, if the wealth of the two countries were compared the fire at Hakodate would be found as serious for the people of Hokkaido as that at San Francisco was for the people at nese insurance companies have had of their re California. This is the first great trial the J
sources and it will be most interesting to see how they meet the situation. It is stated that the liabilities of the principal native company, the Maiji Fire, will be well over a million yen, while both the Nippon and Tokyo will approach companies in Japan in 1905 was 23 millions, a million. The authorised capital of 19 fire
amount paid up over 6 millios, and premium reserve funds nearly 3 millious. The standing of the principal companies in that year is given as follows:-
Capital paid up Reserves Dividend
250,00 2,421,0 x 20 per cent. E0 0 0 101,00 25
Meiji Nippon Nippon Marine
and Fire Taikoku ..
Yokohama Tokyo
11
169
TROUBLE IN THE CANTON HINTERLAND.
BATTLE WITH BEBALS IMMINENT.
We are indebted to an Occasional Corres- pondent for the following information, sent under date Sept. 1th.
The offfoils of Canton have received telegraphic advices of a rising of rebels,
Tai-chee-hai, commanded by Taotai Wang abetted by some soldiers, in the Yam-ohow district of Kwangtung. The garrison at Hoo, is disaffected.
[Tai-obee-bui is a market town close to the city of Fong-shing.]
On the 3rd inst. they joined forces with a mob of bandit, and looted the markets. They invaded the yamen of Magistrate Sung. Chim. you, and murdered him sad his family and servants, to the number of nineteen. The i they marched to Yam chow and Tung bing, capturing both cities.
They out a lot of telegraph wires, but failed to stop all communications.
The telegram received here [Cinton] was sent via Pakhoi. His Excellency Woɔ, the Acting Viceroy, at once sent off two regiments
to deal with the rebels.
WATER RETURN,
Level and storage of water in reservoirs OD the 1st September :-
LEVEL.
1906.
Below overflow. Above overflow.
1907.
Tytam
15 ft. 1 in.
0 ft. 0.2 in.
Below ovari ›w.
750,000 1,167,000 10 750,000 40,000 12 1,250,000 517,000 12 1250,000 717,0 0 10
11
Byewash
Above overflow.
+1
34
Their funds are for the most part invested in necessity of realising at this critical juncture such streks as the Tokyo Railway and the may have the effect of preventing any recovery of the market for many months to come,
A NEW LABOUR PROBLEM. While the labour question on the Pacific Coast has occupied columus of the Japanes papers few seem to have been aware of the
quiet experiments the Government railway coolies in Kyushu, Some three hundred of authorities have been making with Chinese these men have been employed in railway con struction, at pay, it is stated, about half that Japanese labourers receive. No opposition appears to have been encountered on the part of the native labouring element, and as the Government expresses itself satisfied with the new labour, we can only wait and see how the venture turns out.
The wages of the lower classes and their standard of living are steadily improving in Japan, and t'ere is no doubt a scarcity of labour for the lowest class of work, consequent upon emigration and iLoreased another big batch of Chinese is to be introduced. national prosperity It is understood that
RUSSIAN SPIES,
A tragedy of a peculiarly revengeful character if the mo ive for the crime is correctly stated-occurred recently in the Shiba district of Tokyo, and has occasioned a good deal of siscussio in the Press. Oce morning a few days ago a Japanese was seen running through the streets bleeding, pursued by an ther native with a short sword in bis hand. The wounded man was at last struck down and lay dying in the street, while his murderer continued his way and surrendered to the police, claiming that he had killed a spy in the pay of the Russians. Whether this is the motive for the crime or not the incident has excited the press and public, and the position of Russian residents in this country has become an unenviable one. Cases have even cccurred of threats bei g made against these foreigners and both the Premier and Home Minister have thought fit to issue public instructions, pointing out the folly and danger of encouraging such sentiments on the part of the newspapers, and the ingratitude of the sentiment in view of the newly concluded treaty between Russis and Japan. Where requested, special guards have been sent to Russian residents.
f
26 ft. 0 in. 1 ft. 10 in.
Pokfulam......... 7 ft. 8 in. 0 ft. 1 in,
Below overflow. Wongnaicheong, 15 ft. 14 in. 0 ft. 5 in.
STORAGE GALLONS.
1906. 268,660,000
Tytam Byewash Pokfulam Wongnaicheong. 13,627,000
1907.
384,8 0,000
442,000 49.260,000
19,748,00)
66,000,000
29,812,000
500,360,000
Total 331,989,000
CONSUMPTION OF WATER IN THE CITY OF VICTORIA AND HILL DISTRICT DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST.
1906.
1907.
Consumption...130,004,000 144,999,000 gallons Estimated popu.
205,410
I
lation Consumption per
234,500
17.9
head per day
22.7 gallons Western Districts, and constant sapply in all Rider Main in operation in the Central and
supply in al districts throughout the month of other Districts during August 1996. Constant
August 1907.
CONSUPTION OF WATER IN KOWLOON PENINSULA DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST.
1906.
1907.
*
Consumption. 16,955,000 21,845,000 gallous Estimated popu.
lation
80,600 79,310 Consumption per
head per day 6.8
8.8 gallona The Government Analyst reports that the water is of excellent quality.
W. CHATHAM,
Water Authority.
In their attack on the police station at Yoja the Korean insurgents batcbered two Japanese beyond the pale of all sympathy. It appears women and a child. Such deeds put them that two or three bands of insurgents contem- plate a movement against Seoul. On the whole that would not be an unwelcome feature, sinos it would tend to the speedy quelling of the disturbance. It is alleged that a number of the fugitive soldiers are still lying hid in the capital, and that they are receiving assistance from certain foreigners by who-o aid they have been enabled to obtain machinery for striking niokal coins with which they propose to defray what. they call their military expən ef.
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