October 28, 1908.]
of the modern school, do not come into contact with our people. Unfortunately socurate statistics of provincial trade in the interior are impossible to obtain, at present, but it can be asserted without fear of contradiction that * the internal trade of China is enormously in excess of the foreign trade." We should say that it amounts to approximately 80 per cent, of the whole trade of the country, in value, and 98 or 99 per cent, in quantity. This, it must | be understood, is merely a rough guess founded upon observation of the extreme scarcity of foreign products in many of the interior markets.
We do not in any way contend that at some future date the currency of China will not require to be brought into line with that of the Went but we do assert that the country is not yet ripe for such an institution. It may also be noted that the gold output of the world is increasing rapidly, £83,000,000 being last year's total, nearly double that of silver. Finanders are, also showing signs of adjusting fixed ratio between gold and silver, when minted at a certain fineness, and it is quite possible that China may find that her silver currency will become a fixed instead of a fluctuating one provided that she has coined, or re-coins, to the requisite standard.-Chines Public Opinion.
CONDITIONS IN THE
PHILIPPINES.
A SERIOUS TROUBLE BREWING."
The Manila Cablenews says:-It is signifi- cant that one hears form all classes of Americans expressions of fear that the peace of the islands is not to be kept long.
"Something must be done," say Americans and Englishmen. They do not speak very definitely but convey the impression that recent murders and other crimes of violence of which white people have been the victims cause them to dread that these are but signs of a greater unrest under the surface. There seems to be a general feeling that the Government must bestir itself to assert its authority; that serio a trouble is brewing for the United States in the Philippines. These expressions do not come alone from the Army and from merchants and others, but also from some of the highest officials of the Government, One or two whose duties take them into the provinces, and on- especially one who is on the bench, have talked to the Editor of this paper on this subjet. They seem to have forebodings which they either do not care to put in exact words or are unable to formulate in plain language. But they shake their heads and say, Something must be done and done SOOD. We are losing the respect of these people and are losing control over them, The Filipino politicians caciques, and ilustrados seem to be drank with their license. The prestige of the white is very low in these islands. This cannot go on. It will surely result in disaster.
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COMMENTS BY THE NATIVE PRF89. Under the caption Jingoism in action" Los Obreros obaracterises as a wanton insult to the Filipino people the resolution passed by Egbert Camp of the Veteran Army, anent the Pampanga murders, recommending the substita. tion of native províncial officia's by Americana in view of the incapacity shown by the former, Dismissing these charges as prepost-rous and belied by the facts, the paper accuss the American government as incapable to rule in the Philipines, saving that this incapacity had been 'plainly demonstrated by the
many murders of Filipinos, the raping of Filipins maiden and the frequent embezzle ents of public funds by the individuals who came bere with that brilliant crowd of apostles to preach the principles of civilization, democracy, and bonour,
C
"Behind the exalted American patriotism of the Veterans, there is the desire to see established here s jingo government." Asamblea Filipina says, also commenting on the Pampanga affair. "The Americans are office-hungry and are looking for something to eat and for some. thing to purchase a bottle of whiskey," the
paper azeris,
|
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
to
La Democracia deplores that the Governor General after ascertaining the charges agains! Fiscal Veloso to be unfounded, had no word of remark : censure for his jingo accuser and goes on trying to please everybody, is the only cause This policy of temporising' and of the sad condition of affairs now prevailing of Filipinos and Americans in the country and so prejudicial to the interests officiala, instead of trying to please sad com- alike. If our promise at a'l costs, had Armly dealt with all displeasing the worthy Veterans or to die- matters as they came up, even to the extent of illusioning the people as independence, we would not now face the dan
regards immediate gers predicted by the 'mericans.”
The Mercurio says :-“ There is only one class of people in the Philippines to-day that is satisfied and which smiles self-sufficiently when it hears that the country is suffering: those who are on the government payroll. And this is not an exaggeration. There exists misery, which is responsible for the great prevalence of rice and crime among the lower classes of society."
“The American prees of Manila is playing with fire and is in danger of getting scorched, says El Me cantil, commenting on what it believes to be a malicious effort to areate race antagonism in connection with the "an Juan del Moute and Floridablanca outrages, to quot.. "True to their babit of obscuring things that are as clear as the light of day and of placing twisted interpretatio:s on the most lamentable occurrences, the American papers of Manila ay that the unfortunate victims at Florida-
blancs were an American and two Spaniards Everybody knows that Toledo and the Cayanan boys, very dear friends of oars,
were
no' Spaniards, bat Filipinor, and the insistence of the American press that the murdered men were natives of Spain, even now when the matter has been sufficiently cleared up. seems to be due to a deliberate and malicious attempt to misrepresent things and make a race question out of the Floridablanca tragedy Let the courts judge impartially and without distinotion of race. It is not the province of the excitable masses of the people nor of opinionated newspapers.
"But it has been ever thus with the Ameri- can press of Manila, After losing time by talking, with their customary ignorance, about the defects and errors of the Spanish govern. ment. these amiable contemporaries are now foroed to admit the impotence of the American administration in checking obolera, now with us for the past seven years. But, instead of acknowledging, in view of this fact, the utter failure of the bealth authorities and its own countrymen, who are mourning the loss of many thousands of pegs that might have been spent here by the officers and crews of the battleship fleet, these papers haughtily inveigh against the municipal and provincial governmeut, attribut ing the lamentable occurrences above referred to, what they term the unfitness of these govern ments for the privileges of local administration -Translated by the Cablenews.
A LEGAL QUESTION.
j
What appears to be a precedent has been established by Mr. J. R. Wood at the Magistracy. On Oct. 20th Inspector Ritchie prosecut. d the master of a second-hand shop in Lower L soar Road for being in possession of two garden obaire which had been stolen from the Volunteer Headquarters. Mrs. Higby reported the loss of the chairs to the Central Police Station and a detective was dispatched to make inquiries. He found the chairs in the shop in question and was informed by the master that not know, for 45 cents each. he had bought them from a coolie, whom he did chairs was $1.75 each. Inspector Ritchie based The value of the
which states that it is an offence to be found 'in his prosecution on s. 36 of Ordinavos 1 of 1845,
took the view that this was only intended to possession of stolen property. His Worship apply to persons caught with the stolen property in their actual possession and asked Inspector Ritchie to withdraw the case This Inspector Ritchie declined to do and Mr. Wood discharged the defendant.
|
CANTON.
| FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
October 14th,
A FORGED SHARE SCRIP.
Yesterday a man named Wong Ming Shan went to the Oi Yak Charitable Institution to pay the second instalment on 500 shares of the Canton-Hankow Railway Company. He pro- duced a scrip of 500 shares for endorsement, On examining the chop which is impressed partly on the scrip and partly on the counter. foil in the scrip book, the socountant discovered that the part of the shop on the scrip did not correspond with the other half on the scrip book and he declared that the scrip was a forgery. Although the two separate parts of the chop did not agree, still the name of the original holder and the number of the scrip corresponded with what was written in the counterpart in the scrip book. The accountant saked Wong who sold the shares to him. Wong replied that he bought them from the Bai Cheung Pawn Shop in Hongkong, and produced a document given to him by the said pawnshop certifying the so:ip to be a genuine document. The Director of the Institution ordered the forged scrip to be sent to the Head Offles of the Railway Company advising them to destroy it. The name on the forged sorip is Woo Sul Chat and numbered
"01" 1406.
NO MORE OFFICIAL POSITIONS FOR SALE.
of Civil Affairs in Poking stating that, owing Recently Viceroy Chang cabled to the Board
to the serious disasters wrought by the food, ft was necessary to raise further funda to assist the people in the distressed districts, and request- ing the Board to sanction the sale of permanaut official positions in order to raise the funds required.
themselves
The Board replied as follows :- The Throne has already issued an Edict for the erts. blishment of Constitutional Government and the people have been requested to que- lify
for election to Parlia ment. The selling of the permanent omoial positions to all classes of people will not only confuse the status of the officials hat Throne whose object it is to have learned will destroy the good intentions of the
and cultured
mea enter Parliament. This request of yours has caused as to convene a meeting of the Grand Council, the Princes and Ministers, in which it was decided and placed on official record of this Board that the selling of permanent official positions is hereby sap- pressed for ever, no matter whether funds are required for war, rebellion, suppression of piracy, national debts, public projects, floods, famines, &c. Even for these important and argent matters permission for selling permanent official positions will for ever be refused.
*This is one of the most important reforms and essential rules of the present Government enforced to adjust official positions. We cable this to you first and will notify the Viceroys and Governors of other provinces to the same effect."
OPIUM NOTIFICATION.
Some time ago the Chief Superintendent of Police here lastrusted the officials in all the
districts of the Kwong Chou Prefecture to
report to him the number of men in their respective districts who smoke opium. The district foials looked upon it as an unimport- ant matter and did not reply. A few of them sent in petitions with rough statements which, they say, were told to them by the yamen runneri and “ Ti Po's,” but these are incorrect and not the actual figures. It has been decided to imne large wooden licenses and before issuing them the number of opium smokers in each ditariet must be known so that the approximate number of wooden licenses may be ordered for distribu tion. The Chief of Poljos has again issued a that they are required to send in complete notification informing the district officials
in their distrióls within a mnth, reports of the number of opium smokera If any of them should fail to do so within that time they will be cashiered and punished and will generally be strictly dealt with.
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