January 25, 1908.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT
one.
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indignation at the sight of a man beating a We do not know that it has ever been jibbing horse, assault that astonished man satisfactorily established that rat flens make with her umbrella, and if our sense of a practice of attacking human beings, fairplay had not been stronger than our though some convection between plague instinct of gallantry, we should later have areas and the presence of these things seems seen the poor fellow mulcted in coste. As to be beyond doubt. It is certain, however, it was, it was touch and go. These memo- that rat fleas are not the only offenders, and ties and reflections have been revived by that other insects, including the salt story some remarks in a local contemporary, parasite not to be openly mentioned in the which has just been "surprised" to dis-drawing-room, are capable of conveying the cover in our "Chronicle and Directory" disease about. The excessivo attention pud fo rat catching has always been apparent to people who do their own thinking on small, matters without waiting for the aliter dict of well known authorities. The annoyance | and mischief caused by the gang of coolies engaged in that work has never been compensated for by the results attained, and it is gra'ifying at last to find the officials open to conviction. The opinion! of Mr. HOOPER, of the us -lessness of “
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51
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE C UNC L.
A meeting of the Hongkong Legislative Cinel was held on the 23rd instant in the Council ('ùamber.
PRESENT-
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, SIB FREDERICK JOHN DEALTRY LUGARD, K.C.M.G., C.B.. D.S.O.
Hon. Mr. F. H. MAY (Colonial Secretary). Hou. Mr. 3. M. THOMSON (Colonial Trea- surer).
Hon. Mr. W. CHATHAM, C.M.G. (Director of Public Works).
Hon. Mr. A W. BREWIN (Registrar- General).
Hon. Commander BASIL R H. TAYLOR, R. N (Harbour Master).
Hon. Dr. Ho KAI. M.B., C.M., C.M.G. Hon. Mr. H. E. Pollock, K.C.
Hon, Mr. E. A. HɛWETT. Hon. Mr. H KE-WICK. Ho. Mr WEI YUK. Hon Mr. F, OSBORNE, Mr. A G M. FLETCHER (Clerk of Councils).
MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were real, and confirmed,
FINANCIAL MINUTES.
PAPERS.
PUBLIC WORKS COMMUTTEE.
that there is a branch of the S. P. C. A. at Hongkong, and forthwith insists that its members should at once be up and doing, All around there is work for it. We respectfully protest, and beg the local society not to let itself be fussed into fussing. With inky tears dripping from its maudlin pen, our belatedly humane con- temporary beseeches us to contemplate the Chinese cook's manner of carrying a chicken by its wings. As if we had not contem-funnels compulsorily plared on the moor- plated day after day that sorry sight, the inga of ships lying alongside wharves, is also cook worried with the job of carrying too commendably sound, if belated. Ever since many parcels in the other hand, and the the prosecutions of four or five years ag), troubled fowl, wishing the uncomfortable we have derived a certain amonut of melin- strain on is "shoulders" might be re- choly amusement from that sample of rel laxed, and that "a body might be allowed tapey wisdom. No device ever attached to
The Coby st›L SECRETARY, by command of to walk." Too sympathetic to laugh, too any hawser ever prevented any able bol ed
His Excelency the Governor, laid on the table hopeless to protest, we view that familiarra from leaving ship for shore at will, but scene with inward comments that the to see these cones or funnels placed (under Fiusneial Minutes Nos. 1 and 2, and moved that they be referred to the Financ Committee. N. S. P. C. A. would not gladly record penalty) on hawsers not five yards from
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and in its archives. For
e:sy was it not those braid and
gangways, or on ships, the motion was agreed to. very sentimentalists who instigated the whose very fen lors were rubbing the wharf, byelaw that abolished the time-hon- was irresistibly fanny, unless one's mood - The COLONI -1, SECRETARY, by command of oured method of carrying the fowl by happened to be one of impatience. Why His Exe-lb-ney the Governor, laid on the table the legs? They decided, we suppose, that Mr. HoPER wants fu ther évidence on this, the report of the Subsidiary Coinage Committee and report of the estimated expenditure on the flow of blood to the chicken's head in point from the cains of ships weannat
the Kowloon Canton Railway (British Sectiou) the ancient position must inconvenience it.imagine, except on the hypothesis ha' there
for the your 198. What is expected now we do not quite see,
is a vous of "expertomania," which attaks but if the cook has to bring the bird home business men and inkes them dsp sd to. The DIRECTOR at PUBLIC Wo Ks, by com- in his losem, we do not envy the fowl, and bow down to the fetich of the expert in all mand of His Exellency the Governor, laid on we shall "pass" the chicken cutle's at their daily commings and goinge Ameriet the table the Rip set of the Public Works Com-
mitte No. 11. tiffio. As we pointed out long ago, one of has produced an exert adviser on the art
KOWLOON CANTON RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. the more cruel things we have seen at
of eating a lefsteak, but the world minigol
The Flet herising
OLONIAL SECRETARY — I beg that the Hongkong has been the summer fly-paper
resolution standing in my name be in the first in the shop windows, with the little animals
was heart of and We V nture the
indares referred to the Finance Committee. struggling in what to them must sem no
assertion that most people wal reengange The resolution was as follows: 't is hereby re- eternity of torment; vet what mother of the idiotic supertinousness of ral Tunnel,
sdvd that a sum of Four mill on two hundred the local society would dream of presecutiu ;
in the
be indicatel Position
with out and fifty thousand Dollars ($4,250,0 0) for cruelty to an insect? The owner of a waiting fr expert guidance. Failing advanced out of funds in the outode of the performing bear has his living to make, and the Piel Pyer of Hamelin (who must 'Gorernment for the purpose of ovnstraction of Railway (British Seo- the bird-shop keepers have theirs, and while be classed with the "Christian Science "; the Kowbon-Canton"
tion) during the pair 1998, we can feel for the sufferings of the animals
fables) there is a fine chi e for some
The CoL NIAL TREASURE seconded, and in their "care," we can also admit that Dick Whittington to take up His Ex-
the motion was agreed to, they have not any more to complain of than cellency's sugges.ion and import eats to the China pony whose jockey brings hi
Hongkong Mr. HOOPER's fears that the up the straight'
Chinese will eat them do not spoil it as a admising hundreds, with the usual be- commercial speculation. His Excelency thwackings on his labouring ribs. It is im-evidently did not need any experts beyond possible, maugre the “Christian Scientists,"
his own observations and commonsense to to abolish all pain from the world, and the see that the oljet of its existence most we can be expected to do is to inter-
being defeated by the rat cat hing corps fere in cases of clearly wanton cruelty.
It and that ra-catching is, after all, one of the. is our duty to guard against letting or auti-plague measures, perhaps necessary, softer feelings lead us into cruelty to our
but certainly not pre-eminently necessary. kind, as the exaggerated humanitarian Concrete floors and drains are likely to threatens to do. There is quite enough cleaner, but even they won't abolish rats. real and patent cruelty to be seen, without Nor will the Chinese apply to the Sauty etraining at goats and straining the law.
Board for rat-catching deviceR The poit is this. They want to get rid of the ris just as any foreign householder does, but (in common with many of the latter) they dread the fuss that may follow any betrayal, of the presence of the vermin. The eluca tion of the Chinese in foreign pleas of hygiene is the best solution, band to sell ia the end. But let it be sostud hygiene, and not fails.
“
that job f irly well before
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CHINESE EMIGRATION AMENDMENT
ORDINANCE.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY "amid the plaudits of
RATS AND PLAGUE.
(Daily Press, January 23rd.)
¦
We hope that our readers, wading through the long Sanitary Board discussion ou ra's and rat catching, would not overlook the important fact that it is not so much the rats as the fleas they carry which are the plague spreaders. It should not require the opinion of "a well known authority ou plague" to convince us tha. the recommen. dation of the Medical Officer of Health (to reduce the fussiness of that intrusive and ineffective body, the rat catchers) is a good $1,250,000 for land.
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W48
Railway estimates to D-c-mbar n.xt (Kow. loon to Cantov) published yesterday, mention $ 259,000 as the amount to be spent this year Last year about $2,914,46] was expended, rather more ban the estimate. Preliminary expenses are over now. The chief item this year is
:
!
-In the absence of the learned neighbour on my left I bag to m the first reading of a Bi'l entitled "An Ordinance to amend the Chinese Emigration Ordiuane, 1899
The COLONIAL Treasurer seosadid and the Bill was resd a first time.
THE EVIDENCE ORDINANON, The ColXIAL SECRETARY mored the first reading of Bill entitled sa Ordinance to
A
facilitate the a Imission in evidenes of Statutes passed by the Lagidatures of British Possessions and Brish Protectorates including Cyprus.
The CalNTAL. TREASURE reconded, sad the Bill was read a first time. THE FIRE INSURANCE COMPANIES ORDINANCE. The COLONIAL Secretary moved the first ronding of a Bill entitled an Ordinance to authores the removal of Fire Insurance Com- panies from the Register of Companies in certain esse<
The COLONIAL TREASURɛ seconded, sad the Bill was read a first time.
FIRE BRIGADE ORDINANCE. The Cato IAL SECRETARY m2 ved the second reading of 4 Bill entitled an Oeriasnos to am-ql the Fire Brigad- ().dinano“, 1864. Ho Kad - In addition, Sir, to the reasons given in the objec's and reasons of the Bill, I would my that the object of this Ordinance is to give the Captain Suprintendent of Polios, who is al-o Superintendent of the Fire Brigad, the ame powers over men under his command in the Firs Brigade as he possesses over men under his
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