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April 26, 1909.]
HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
ANNUAL REPORT.
The Report of the Committee for the year ending 31st December, 1908, for presentation to the Members of the annual meeting, to be held in the City Hall, to-day, at 4 p.m. is as follows:-
overal important questions have had the attention of the Committee during the past year.
NEW TYPHOON REFUGE AT
MONGKOKTSUI
Members of the Chamber will remember that when, in 1904, the Government referred to them the proposal to construct a new Typhoon Refuge at Mongkoktsui, the Committee advocated that the Refuge should be situated at Cheung Sha Wan.
The question was shelved for the moment but the Typhoon of 1906 brought forth such an expression of public opinion in favour of a Refuge as to induce the Government to again take up the matter.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.!
PRIVATE BUOYS IN THE HARBOUR.
This important subject continued to receive the attention of your Committee.
The position at the end of 1907 was that the Chamber, having differed with the argument of of the Government for a revision of the present system, were considering the Government's reply.
was unani-
ment's renewed representations,
The Chamber, after considering the Govern- monsly of opinion that any change in the present system was unworkable unless the Government took over all the leases. moorings and buoys.
The Government concurred in the view that by Government would be the best solution of the purchase of all private buoys and moorings the problem but stated the Colony could not at that moment incur the expense involved. The Government regarded the present proposal as a temporary solution until the Colony could afford the expenditure.
Your Committee differed absolutely with the reasons set forth by the Government as a to Merchant Shipping Consolidation Ordinance. justification for its amendment of Table O (a)
INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION TO BE HELD IN ITALY IN 1911.
The Government referred to the Chamber the Report of the Public Works Committee favonr-
Tho Government having approached the ing the Mongkoktsui Scheme together with His Chamber with regard to a proposed Interna. Excellency's proposal to defray the cost half out¦tional Exhibition to be held in Italy in 1911, of the Colony's reserves and half by a temporary your Committee replied that! in their opinion, increase of Light Dues.
sufficient support. an appeal to the public would meet with in-
Your Committee, in replying. supported the protest of the Agents, Representives and Owners of British Lines visiting the port against the imposition of increased dues, and their suggestions for a modification of thus Government's proposal.
Your Committee also concurred in the vic expressed by the Shipping Companies as the apparently excessive cost of the Mongoltsui scheme and asked that an opportuity bej accorded them of viewing the plans
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The points raised by the Shipping Companies were fully considered by His Excellency in the Government's reply and the plans sent to he Chamber. The Shipping Companies in further letter addressed to the Chamber en closed memoranda as an answer to those of His Excellency and suggested that if Causeway Bay, half of whose area was practically useless owing to silt, were improved shelter could pro bably be provided for the greater part, if not the whole, of the smaller craft employed in the Harbour. But if the Government were de- finitely committed to Mongkoktsui the suggestion of the Shipping (ompanies that the cost be spread over a term of years calenlated to fall less heavily on immediate contributors-a policy usually adopted by Port Trusts - should also be adopted by the Government.
The Government replied that the existing loan for Railway construction precluded the raising of the further loan suggested by the Shipping Companies. After considerable cor- respondence the Government reduced the in- crease of Light Dues to 23 cents per ton by cent, and assured the Shipping Companies that there was no intention of continuing the increase after the cost of the Typhoon Refuge had been met.
The Government, however, was not prepared to re-open the question of the provision of a second shelter or the method of financing its construction.
LICENCE FEES OF LIGHTERS AND
CARGO BOATS.
The Chamber supported the protest of the Owners of Foreign Lighters against the in- crease of licence fees and considered that the time had arrived for a distinction to be made between the boats own by public carriers and those owned by private firms for their own use,
The Government replied that the fees were not excessive and it could not consider the re- opening of the subject.
FRANCO-BRITISH EXHIBITION OF 1908.
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In response to a communication from the Government asking the Chamber to consider the feasibility of the Colony participating in the Franco British Exhibition, your Committee expressed the opinion that sufficient support would not be forthcoming to justify the appoint- ment of a Committee of Organization and that unless the Government were prepared to vote the necessary funds, the matter should be allow ed to drop.
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TINNED LARD AND TANNING INDUSTRY.
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A memorandum by His Excellency the Governor with the possibility of the Colony developing an was received by the Chamber dealing export trade in tiuned lard with the Philippines and Straits Settlements. Enquiries were made by the Chamber information requested i
Merchants and further Government guarantee,
the question of
In reply Excellency as to the feasibility of the Colony to a further enquiry of His engaging in the Taning Industry, from enquiries made it appeared to your Committee that the establishment of such an industry was unlikely to meet with success.
BRITISH POSTAL SERVICE AT TIENTSIN.
337
United Kingdom and trusted that the Govern ment would not make it a condition precedent to registration in Hongkong in the new Ordinance.
PROHIBITION OF IMPORTATION OF MORPHIA
INTO CHINA.
By the courtesy of the Government the Chamber received a copy of a despatch from Sir John Jordan covering copy of the Notifios- tion issued by him to H.B. M.'s Consula at the Treaty Ports in China by which notice was courayed to British subjects that from January 1st, 1909, the importation into China of Morhuis, and instruments for its injection, would be prohibited by the Chinese Government.
requirements.
Due provision had been made for medicinal
The
CURRENCY QUESTION.
year brought forth the usual correspon- dence on the question of Currency Reform, a subject which will come to be regarded as an essential feature of the Chamber's Annual Report.
A copy of a despatch from Sir John Jordan with copies of an Imperial Decree dated was received from the Government together Peking, 5th October, 1908, commanding that a certain silver coin be struck as the Standard Coin of the Country.
Council (Hui I Cheng Wa Ch'u) on the ques- n interesting memorial of the Government tion of an uniform National Currency is included.
ATTEMPTED OPIUM MONOPOLY AT CANTON.
Certain regulations issued by the Provincial Anthorities of the Two Kwongs called forth a protest from the Opium Merchants of the Colony resisting what could only be regarded as a who requested the support of the Chamber in breach of Articles 5 and 10 of the British Treaty of Nanking 1842.
It was contended that the objectionable regu- lations would form the nucleus of a monopoly which would eventually bring the raw opium the hands of a few individuals, and possibly into trade in the Province of the Two Kwongs into the hands of the Provincial Government.
The Committee considered that the opium merchants had made out a strong case and took up the matter by cabling to Sir John Jordan. t The Wai Wu Pu, in response to the represen. Your Committee were pleased at the informations of M.'s Minister, promised to telegraph tion conveyed to them by the Government that, nstructions to the Viceroy on the subject. as the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury had agreed to guaranted the Government of Hongkong against half of any loss on the postal had decided to provide the other half, the agency at Tientsin and the Tientsin Municipality Agency would remain open until 10th October, 1909.
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meanwhile, he arrived at by which the Govern- It is hoped that: some arrangement will,
permanently. ment will be enabled to retain the Agency
SEVENTH CONGRESS. OF CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE OF THE EMPIRE 1909.
A circular letter was received by the Chamber inviting the attendance of a delegate at the forthcoming Congress of Chunivers of Com- merce of the Empire to be held at Sydney in 1909.
If it should be possible to do so, it is the wish the Chamber. of the Committee to appoint a representative of
REGISTRATION OF TRADE MARKS, The Government having under consideration the question of amending the Law relating to the Registration of Trade Marks (Ordinance No. 6 of 1898) requested a definite expression of opinion from the Chamber as to whether! British Merchants in the Colony desired by registering their Marks in Hongkong to secure local protection, or whether they desired to secure protection in China, Korea and Japan as well. In the latter case His Excellencey the Governor considered that prior registration in the United Kingdom would be indispensable as a condition precedent to registration in Hongkong.
The Committee's opinion conveyed to His Excellency was that registration did not confer a right-rights being conferred by usage. that point of view were accepted there was no If valid reason why the British Government should not protect marks registered in Hong- kong but not in the United Kingdom in so far as to accept that registration as evidence of the claim of prior usage. out the extreme
They pointed local inconvenience which would ensue on compulsory registration in the
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later stage, and a letter setting forth the views The matter was more fully discussed at a of the opium merchants; supported by a further Government. “ letter from the Chamber, was forwarded to
It afforded considerable satisfaction to your Committee to learn the matter had for some His Excellency the Governor, and within the time been engaging the serious attention of last few days a despatch has been received from Peking to the effect that the Wai Wu Pu had assured H.M.'s Minister that the new regulations would apply to Native opium only.
LONDON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE COMMERCIAL EXAMINATIONS. It will be remembered that at the close of 1907 the Committee were considering the question of the formation of a local centre of Examination for the London Chamber of Commerce Commer- cial Examinations.
The views of Mr., E. D. C. Wolfe, Inspector of Schools, were requisitioned with the result that the Chamber wrote to the London Chamber regretting their inability to form a local centre for reasons fully set out in the correspondence.
HONGKONG-SINGAPORE QUARANTINE
REGULATIONS.
pointing out that if the Shipping Companies A letter was received from the Government
tween this port and Singapore would make the interested in the Chinese Passenger traffic be- vaccination of Asiatic passengers and native crew obligatory before embarkment for Sing- apore, the Health Officer at that Port would be willing, provided no infectious or contagious disease had manifested itself or death occurred since leaving Hongkong, to allow landing and give the vessel pratique after the necessary their luggage had been completed. examination and disinfection of passengers and
The opinion of the principal firms engaged in ation this end was impracticable. the traffic was obtained which was that vaccin-
SURVEYS ON PIECE GOODS.
The Manchester Chamber wrote stating that it had been brought to their notice that certain
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