January 4, 1909.]
COMPANY MEETING.
“SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
LIMITED.
11
The annual ordinary general meeting of the South China Morning Post, Limited, was held in the offices of Dr. Noble, at Bank Build. ings, Queen's Road Central, yesterday when there were present Dr. J. W. Noble (chairman), Mr. J. Scott Harston (director,) Mr. Geo. T Lloyd (general manager and editor), Messrs, T. Petrie, E. B. Ayris, J. McCubbin, and E. W Terry.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
and enabled us to gradually improve our margint in profit. At the beginning of August; the situation appeared to warrant our again work- ing the mill at night, and the necessary hands having been secured, day and night work was commenced on the 17th of that month, since when it has Been. continued without interruption and materially helped the result for the twelve months under review. As, you can well understand, night and day work taxes our European hands to the utmost, and the General Managers desire to take this opportunity of expressing their appreciation of the able manner in which the staff has overcome The CHAIRMAN said:-Gentlemen,The the difficulties of keeping the mill running report and accounts having been in your hands continuously, and of securing the record produc- for some, days, I will with your permission taketions, which they have done, and which testify them as read. I have nothing to add to that that the machinery is in first class order. which is embodied therein as the figures set (Applause.) I am happy to say that the outlook forth fully explain the position of the Company. for the immediate future is encouraging, our I will, however, take this opportunity to say that production having been sold for the first four you as shareholders are not doing four duty months of our financial year, that is, to the end to the Company or to yourselves as stockholders of February, at satisfactory day and night in the concern. You won't even attend our working profits on our purchases of cotton, annual meetings and express your views as
which cover all sales, and, considering the to the management, in censure or otherwise, comparatively small stocks in Shanghai of whilst during the year you exhibit the Indian and Japanese yarns, combined with same apathetic spirit, not lifting a finger the increasing consumption of yarn made to aid in the direction, or to advance the in-
in China, I venture to express the hope that we terests of your own property. If it be your
shall be able to continue to run your mill day desire that your property shall increase in value and night, and come before you at this time you should all help at least a little-good years next year with a report at least as satisfactory are not due to luck, but are the result of constant
as the one now: under discussion. (Applause.) work and hard work too, and you should all bear During the year, cotton was of a fair average your share of the burden. In addition to giving quality, but the crop of better grades was short, you the news which may be current from to-day, and the deficit was made good with importations the policy of your paper will in the future con-
from India. I trust that the proposed appro. tinue to be one which in the opinion of the priation of the balance at credit of profit and management will result in the greatest good loss account will meet with your approval, and to the greatest number. It is interesting to note
that you
will consider a dividend of Tls. 5 the change which is gradually taking place in the per share satisfactory. The General Managers attitude of the Chinese mind toward the Press and Consulting Committee are of opinion It furnishes food for thought and gives rise to that it is advisable to add Tls. 135,000 to much conjecture and speculation. It would Repairs and Renewals Account, the balance at surprise you greatly if you knew to what credit of that account, which, as you will extent our editorial rooms are from time remember, was inaugurated in 1905, being to time furnished with excellent copy of reduced to Tls. 7,702.34 on 31st October. The Chinese origin. a recent communication end- writing down of furniture will, I feel sure, com- ing with: "Three cheers for Old China mend itself to you. On Special Repairs and and the power of the Press. That the
Renewals, the sum of Tls. 15,574.53 has been Chinese should be so attracted is gratifying of numerous improvements, includes the cost of expended; this amount besides covering the cost to the management, showing as does a keen appreciation of your paper, in a quarter from mechanical stokers for the four boilers at the whence such or any approbation is unlooked for. mill. The stokers have been in working order Before proposing the adoption of the report and for some weeks, and in the saving of fuel, not to accounts I will be pleased to answer any ques- speak of a considerable abatement of smoke, will tions you may ask.
return good interest on the money spent. I do not know that any other items call for special comment, with perhaps, the excep- tions of interest and fire insurance, which, owing to our working with comparatively small stocks of yarn, compare very favourably with the expenditure in the previous year, interest being ractically one half what it was in the preceding twelve months. I shall be pleased to answer any questions that may be asked.
•
There being no questions, the CHAIRMAN proposed the adoption of the report and accounts as presented, Mr. J. M: McCUBBIN seconded and the motion was agreed to.
Mr. T. PETRIE proposed the re-election of Dr. J. W. Noble and Messrs. G. C. Moxon and J. Scott Harston as directors for the year ending 31st August, 1909.
Mr. E. B. AYRIS seconded, and this was carried..
The CHAIRMAN: That is all the business, gentlemen; thank you for your attendance. I am sorry I cannot say dividend warrants will be ready to-morrow.
THE EWO COTTON SPINNING AND WEAVING CO., LTD..
The thirteenth ordinary meeting of share holders of the Ewo Cotton Spinning and Weaving Company, Ltd., was held on December 13th at the offices the General Manager (Messrs. Jardine, Matheson and Co., Ltd.) Mr. David Landale presided.
The notice convening the meeting having been read,
The Chairman said Gentlemen,-Follow- ing the usual procedure at meetings in. Shang- hai, I propose, with your approval, to take the report and accounts for the year ended 31st October, 1908, which have been in your hands for some days, as read.
At the last annual meeting, I remarked that the outlook could not be called brilliant, but that there were indications that the Yarn trade was assuming a more normal course and I have now to inform you that during the first six months of our financial year, the demand for our spinning left a great deal to be desired, but, in the early summer months, the tide turned
CANTON.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
*
December 29th.
THE FATALITY. AT SAMSHUI. The body of Captain Mackintosh of the British American Tobacco Company's steamer Bramtoco, who was drowned about a week ago at Samshui, has been found. An inquiry has been held at the British Consulate and the verdict was:Accidental death through drowning.
MAIL BOAT PIRATED.
A slipper boat of the Imperial Chinese Post Offico carrying mails regularly between Canton and Chan Cheun was pirated close by a military station on the morning of the 27th instant while on her way to Canton to deliver the inland mails for the Hongkong day steamer. Over twenty pirates took part in the piracy. They carried away all the mail bags. The mails were in charge of three Chinese officers of the Post Office. One of them swam ashore and reported the piracy to the military station; another who came to Canton to report the affair to the Postal Commissioner was seriously wounded on the head. The third man is still missing. It is surmised that he was killed by the pirates and his body thrown into the river. So far no arrest has been made.
FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY FLOATED,
H.E. Chang Pei Sze, formerly Minister of Agriculture, Labour and Mines in the Kwang- tung Province, has floated a Fire Insurance Company under the style of Kwangtung Fire Insurance Company Limited. The capital of the Company is $500,000 divided into 50,000 shares of $10 each.
VISIT OF AN AMERICAN PROFESSOR.
A prominent American professor arrived here yesterday. He carries with him letters of introduction to the high Chinese Officials from H.E. Wu Ting Fang. He is visiting all the The Provincial Government Colleges here. Chancellor has notified the Directors of all the Colleges to give the professor a grand reception at their respective colleges.
ARMED ROBBERY IN THE CITY.
::
A daring robbery was reported to the police as having occurred at 236, Queen's Road Cen- tral, early on New Year's morning. ix men, armed with knives, gained access to this shop and terrorised the inmates living on the ground floor. Taken by surprise the residents could offer no resistance, and submitted quietly to being bound and gagged. The robbers then set to work to collect valuables. The noise they made, however, alarmed the people on the floor above. A police whistle was blown and the robbers decamped. A suspect was arrested shortly afterwards by hief Detective Inspector Hanson, and three more men have been arrested and charged.
There were no questions and on the motion of the Chairman, seconded by Mr. Shaw, the report and accounts as presented were adopted.
The Chairman proposed that a dividend of MANILA AND THE CATTLE TRADE. Tls. 5 per share be paid out of last year's profits. Mr. Crighton seconded and the motion carried.
was
Mr. H. J. Clark proposed that the Consulting Committee as at present constituted be re-elected for the current year. On this being seconded by Mr. Brodie A. Clark the motion was carried unanimously.
Mr. G. E. Wingrove was re-elected as the company's anditor on a proposal by Mr. Samson, seconded by Mr. Drakeford.
The Chairman thanked shareholders for their attendance and said that dividend warrants would be ready on the following day.
A vote of thanks to the Chairman brought the meeting to a close.
We learn that the plague epidemic at Tongshan, North China, is now practically at an end, only sporadic cases having recently been reported.
A Peking newspaper states that the messages of condolence sent by the foreign nations to China in her recent national bereavement have so touched the Prince Regent that His Imperial Highness intends to send a Prince of the blood to the various countries to return thanks after the hundred days of mourning,
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A SHIPSMASTER ARRESTED FOR CRUELTY.
The complaints of the collector of customs against the cruelty, practiced on certain cattle ships in the business of transporting cattle from the China coast to Manila has come to a head, says the Cablenews, by the commence- ment of proceedings in the Court, of First Instance against F. W. Bull, the master of the steamship Standard which, on the 2nd day of December steamed into Manila with 677 heads of cattle without providing suitable means for securing such animals while in transit, so as to avoid cruelty and un- necessary suffering to them. provide stals for the animals in transit and It is charged that Captain Bull failed to suitable means for tying and securing them. They were tied by their noses and the result was many of them reached Manila dead or dying and others in a mutilated condition;
These charges were filed by the prosecuting attorney and Mr. Bull was arrested on & warrant issued by the court and at once arrainged. He gave bail in $300 to appear for trial on the 26th inst.
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