L
F
July 25, 1908 ]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Already the following sums have been pro-agents with provisions to all the flooded dis-
mised to the new Fund:-
The Shing Woo Company The Yan Woo Co.
The Chap Shing Co.
Mrs. Chau (mother of Mr. Chan Kang U, compradore to Douglas Lapraík & Co.)
$1,000 1,000
1,000
$1,000
The committee beg to acknowledge with thanks the further following denations :---
Ron. H. E. Pollock
Mr. B. Layton
A. Friend
A. 8.
404
$100
25 50
10
Mr. Wassamull Assomul, assortment of valuable lacquer ware.
The following correspondence relating to the West River Floods was laid before the Legislative Council yesterday :-
H.B.M. Consulate-General, Canton, July 2nd, 19.8. SIE-In reply to Your Excellency's des- patch No. 110 of June 26th which reached me on the 80th ultimo, I have the honour to state that I am not at present in a position to afford you any authoritative information concerning the floods and consequent famine in the valleys of the West and North Rivers.
The Governor-General, to whom I have applied for particulars of the areas inundated, the number of people rendered destitute by the floods and the extent of the damage done to the orops, has not as yet sent me any reply. He has, I understand, called for reports from the local officials in the districts affected.
At a recent meeting of British and American missionaries in Canton a committee was formed who have made arrangements to send three parties, consisting each of one foreign missionary and several native pastors, up the West, North and East Rivers respectively with instructions to investigate the conditions prevailing in those districts. I bave been promised a copy of their report, which is expected in about three weeks time.
I have requested His Majesty's Consul at Washow to furnish me with a report on the state of affairs in the West River valley above Wuchow.
I shall not fail to transmit to Your Excellency all the information I am able to obtain from the above-mentioned sources.—I have &c.,
HARRY H, Fox, Acting Consul-General,
His Excellency,
Sir F. D. Lugard, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O.,
&o.,
&o.
&o,
H. B. M. Consulate-General, Canton, July 2nd, 1908. SIR,-In continuation of my despatch No. 94 of to-day's date, I have the honour to enclose, for Your Excellency's perusal, copy of a letter just received from Taotai Wen Tsung Yao, Secretary to the Governor-General, together with a list in Chinese of the flooded distriots in the West and North River Valleys.—I have, &o..
HAREY H. Fox, Acting Consul-General.
His Excellency,
Sir F. D. Lugard, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.8.0.,
*O.,
&o.,
&o,
(Copy.)
Canton, 2nd July, 1908,
Viceroy's Yamen. DEAR MR. Fox,-As directed by you in your letter of the 30th ultimo, I send
you herewith a list of the flooded districts in the West and North River Valleys, as reported to the Viceroy by the local Magistrates and the Deputies sent out by His Excellency to investigate the condition of the flooded districts.
All the drops in these districts have been completely destroyed and about a million people are in a destitute condition which will last until the next orop comes round again about four months from now.
triots. Yours sincerely,
(Signed) Wax Towne YAO. His Honour,
Consul General Fox
H.B.M. Consulate General,
Canton, July 6th, 1908. Excellency's information copy of a report from SIR,-I have the honour to enclose for Your His Majesty's Acting Consul at Washow an the subject of the recent floods in the West River Valley. I have, &o.,
HARRY H. Fox, Acting Consul-General,
His Excellency
Sir F. D. Lugard, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O.,
&0%,
&o.,
(Copy.)
&c.
H.B.M. Consulate, Wachow, July 2nd, 1908. 818-In reply to your telegram of yesterday's not consider it likely that there will be a famine date I have the honour to inform you that I do
except in the event of the failure of the autumn or even any great scarcity in this Province, rice orop. The export of rice which was the principal cause of the great famine nine years ago, is prohibited and in view of the damage which the crops of the Province have suffered removed, though the Canten Viceroy has tele- there is no probability of this prohibition being graphed asking that this should be done.
the way up the Fu River great damage has In the neighbourhood of Wuohow and all been done; some eight-tenths of the rice has In many other parts, however, the damage been ruined and much hardship is ensning, suffered seems to have been small; for instance at Nanning at the height of the flood the fields The crops in that region do not appear to have were still some 25 to 30 feet above the water. suffered at all.
The whole city of Wuchow was under water, but except in a few cases the houses have not suffered. Considerable quantities of piece bat the principal damage has been suffered by goods and other merchandise have been ruined, the pris and junks in the Fu Ho. Two big pais were sank and a number of cargo boats and sampans. mostly loaded with firewood; also flower boats I should think the total number of lives
lost must be somewhere between twelve and twenty. It was first reported that a considerable part of the city of Kuailin had been carried away but this was much exagge- rated. I understand, however, from a Catholic missionary of that city that there are suburbs and villages in the neighbourhood which must have suffered severely. I have, &c.,
(Signed) HI. HARDING.
HELP FROM MACAO.
public subscription towards the relief of the Our Macao correspondent writes that a distress in the West River districts has been started in that Colony with a donation of $5,000 by the Government. Some of the charitable institutions have subscribed $500 each.
At present the fand amounts to about $8,000. Some amateur performances are to be given at the Macao Club in did of the Fund, and a
committee representing the Chinese population has asked the Government to allow them to hold a Bazaar with incidental theatrical entertainments &c., in aid of the relief fund.
At a meeting of the Chinese Y.M.C.A. and Y.M.C.A. Chinese Churches Committee held, at the rooms 'on the 20th inst. it was decided to pay over to the Flood Relief Fund amounting to over $300, from the subscriptions Committee, the balance remaining on hand, raised towards the Relief Fund by the United Y.M.C.A. Chinese Christian Churches, and Chinese
In the Veterinary Surgeon's report for 1907 fooding by the Hongkong Milling Company it is mentioned that the new enterprise of pig has only had a qualified success owing prin cipally to the dificulty of avoiding infectious disease. The breeding of European pigs was tried at Castle Peak farm but has been only
The Canton Government has sent a deputy with money and provisions to each of the flooded districts to co-operate with the local magistrate to give the sufferers as much relief as possible.
The (haritable Institutions are also very busy with their relief work. They have sent moderately successful.
HONGKONG GENERAL. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
Minutes of a monthly meeting of the General Committee held in the Chamber Room, St. George's Building, on Monday, the 18th July,
Friesland. J. B. M. Smith, E. Shellim, H. E. (Chairman), C. Brodersen, J. W. C. Bonnár, G. 198, at 4 p.m. Present:-Messrs. D. R. Liw,
E. A. M. Williams, (Secretary). Tomkins, Hon. Mr. Murray Stewart and Mr.
CÓMMITTER.
The CHAIRMAN welcomed Mr. C. Brodersen upon him taking his seat as a member of the Committee.
The Hon. Mr. H. Keswick resigned his seat on the Committee owing to his departure from the Colony, and a reply was sent to him con. veying the thanks of the Committee for the valuable services he had rendered to the Chamber during the past year.
MINUTES.
the special meeting held on the 16th and 26th The Minutes of the monthly meeting and of May, respectively, were read, and confirmed,
OPIUM QUESTION. Government was read
The following acknowledgement from the
Colonial Secretary's Office,
ceipt of your letter of the
21st May, 1908. SIE, I am directed to acknowledge the re- 19th instant
instant on the subject of the closing of Opium covering a resolution passed by the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce on the 16th Divana in Hongkong.
of the Resolution will be forwarded to the 2. In reply, I am to inform you that a copy Secretary of State for the Colonies for the consideration of His Majesty's Government.- I am, &o.,
F. H. MAY, Colonial Secy.
The Secretary, Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce.
LICENCE FEES ON LIGHTERS AND CARGO BOATS;
Mat heson & Co., Ltd., was read :--
The following letter from Messrs. Jardine
Hongkong, 27th May. 1908. Dear Sir,-On the 30th ultimo a joint letter was addressed to the Colonial Secretary by the the recent increase of licence fees. owners of foreign lighters protesting against
Secretary which in the opinion of the Signs- A reply has been receive from the Colonial tories to the protest is not considered satisfac. tory and it has been agreed that the matter should be laid before your Committee with a view of soliciting their assistance in this connection.
For reasons expressed in the correspond. ence, copies of which are enclosed, it is con- sidered that this matter as affecting Ship- ping interests is one of more than ordinary importance; we trust therefore that your Com- mittee will afford us all possible assistance.—We are, &o.,
JARDINE MATHESON & Co., To the Secretary.
Hongkong Chamber of Commerce.
(Copy.)
Hongkong, 30th April, 1908. SIB, With reference to the recent heavy increase in the licence fees for cargo bosts and lighters, notified in the Government Gazette of the 20th ultimo, we, the undersigned owners of private lighters beg that, for reasons here- inafter expressed, the decision of the Government to double the tax already levied on such oraft be reconsidered.
We venture to say that it is not equitable, even though it were done previously, to place private craft (acquired for the sole purpose of under no circumstances ply for hire) on the carrying on our respective businesses, and which
sama footing as Chinese owned boats, the daily hire of which is regulated by Government Tarif.
In one case the usefulness and earning power of the lighters is limited to the requirements of owned boats, the return is governed by the our trade, whereas in the sass of the Chinese energy and resourcefuluess of the licences. It is, wa think, generally admitted that Native Cargo Boats, paid for to a large extent by the Typhoon Relief Fund, have since the typhoon of September 1906 (demanded altoge-
4
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.