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His Excellency The Chinese Minister in London has kindly consented to preside at the seventieth anniversary festival in aid of the funds of The Newsvendors' Institution to be held in London next November.
Mr. W. Adams Oram of the Hongkong and and Shanghai Bank, Shanghai has gone who home on a year's leave. Mr. Oram was enter- tained at dinner by Mr. H. E. R. Hunter who succeeds him in the management of the Shang- hai branch The guests included many of the chief brokers and business men of Shanghai. A large number of friends assembled on the jetty yesterday to bid sr. Oram good speed and a pleasant holiday.
Meetings of the Manila Railway Company (1906) A and B Debenture bondholders were to be held on May 26th.
The resolutions to
be submitted have in view the reduction of the present Debenture issues from £3,250,000 of each class to £2,000,000. The company is to be congratulated upon having obtained from the Philippine Government a new concession, under the terms of which the latter agree to guarantee | interest for 30 years on a new issue of bonds of the Manila Railroad Company to defray the cost of the extensions south of Manila.
A native correspondent of a northern con- temporary states that the Imperial Coffin at the late Emperor's funeral was carried by 128 coolies, and their expenses and the cost of erect- ing two matsheds amounted to Tls. 600,000. The Prince Regent wants to know where the money, went.
He has granted only Tis. 20,000. as he considers that is quite sufficient. The expenses for getting two boats ready to carry the coffin was Tls. 120.000. but 6,000 only has been paid by the Prince Regent. His Highness is stated to have been angry.
The Philippines Appropriation Bill which has just been passed by the Assembly makes provision for meeting the deficit expected to result from an application of the provisions of the Payne Hill to the Manila customs house, The Government is authorized to float a loan in
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
EMPIRE DAY,
"The
[May 29, 1909.
crown and sceptre are to be found in an aristocracy, not of blood nor an aristocracy (Daily Press, 24th May.)
of talent, nor antaristocracy of fashion, stil To-day is Empire Day. Each year we see less an aristocracy of money, but an aristo. an extended observanceof Empire Day, more cracy of character." The great Empires of the Colonies the past have waned and faded away owing conspicuously perhaps in
han in the Motherland. Here in the loval to the decadence of the moral fibre.
worst trouble that Athens suffered,” Colony of Hongkong, as in many other
writes GROTE, the historian of Greece, "was Colonies, it is declared by the Government to be a Bank Holiday; and when the B nka the want of character and integrity in her take a holiday so also does the busines-citizens and public men." Empire Day then community generally. Doubtless in course s a day of introspection for the citizens of of time we shall see May 24th added by the the British Empire. Is there any sign of rt at the roots? If so can we remove it and preserve the tree from decay? This is the un- derlying purpose of the movement and it is one greatly to be commended. May 24th will long be remembered in English history ng the birthday of a great Queen who left the Empire the legacy of a noble character; and it was a happy inspiration to link the Empire movement with the memory of a sovereign who will ever live in the history of the Empire. as "VICTORIA the Great and
Good."
was
British Farliament to the Calendar of St. LUBBOCK as a public holiday. For the present, Empire Day in the United Kingdom | is celebrated chiefly in the schools. Last year the number of schools, train ng college and institutions in the United Kingdom which observed Empire Day was 15,640, while the number in the Colonies WHE 35,482. The approximate number of cholars attending these schools was nearly seven millions, and as at least an equal number of adults attended the celebrations | it. WAS calculated hat May 24th observed last year by between thirteen and fourteen million subjects of H. M. the King. The population of the British Empire spread over twelve millions of square miles or 21 per cent of the earth's land surface, is estimated at four hundred millions, or 22 per cent of the poulat on of the Earth; so that the movement has still plenty of room to grow. Even in places where Empire Day i celebrated it is probable that many people have but a hazy idea of what it is intended to signify. In the words of Loid MEATH, the father of the movement, "it is intended that the Empire celebration shall be the outward sign of an inner awakening of the peoples who constitute the British Empire to the serious duties which lie at their door." It is not the occasion then for a sort of vulgar Jingoism" which says "Was there ever such glory as that which follows the flag of Britain wherever it is un. furle?" The underlying idea of the movement is something entirely different; its watchwords are: Responsibility, Duty, Sympathy, Self-Sacrifice" Though A8 outward and visible sign of recognition of the day we are advised to fly the Union Jack, and wear daisies, ox-eved daisies, bachelor's buttons, marigolds or marguerites, there is much insistence on the fact that the movement is non-aggre-sive, as it is als non-sectarian and non-partisan. All the lectures: in schools and the sermons i
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the United States by the issuance of bonds to the amount of $1,500,000 for public works throughout the islands. It is proposed to use the money obtained from the sale of the bonds for the construction of the public works for which
а has already been appropriated. In money this way the money set aside heretofore for these public works will be available to meet any falling off in the revenues.
There is a growing demand for canned milk in Southern China, remarks a trade paper. The United States Consul at Canton reports that he consumption of canned milk among the Chinese is on the increase, and many of the stores now handling these prepared milks report that large quantities of the various brands are being taken by the Chinese. The Chinese have never used any great quantities of milk, as they usually allow the calf to take all the milk for its nourishment, in order to have another animal
later, and fearing that the calf will die if de prived of any part of the milk. No dairy farmas exist except in the various foreign settlements and colonies. In fact, among the Chinese, fresh milk is practically never used, owing to its scarcity. There is every indication, however that the Chinese are beginning to realise the value of milk as a food, and when once the use of it becomes general the manufacturers of the canned product should find a large market.
J
the
لاة
CHINA AND STEAM NAVIGATION.
(Daily Press, May 25th)
Ons of the so-called 'Reforms proposed by the Board of Posts and Communications at Peking can hardly bedescribed otherwise than as a distinct step backwards towards chaos. It is proposed to remove the working of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company from its present hands, and place it directly under the Board of Posts and Communica-
tions. Now it is not at all suggested by us that the China Merchants Steam Navigation Co. is a model of management either in the past or at present. Originally intended as a go- verument monopoly to oust the foreiguer from the supposed enormous profits of ownership, the public was invited to subscribe, and was alloited shares. For a few years pretence of keeping accounts was kept up, but the accounts did not bilance, and soon ceased to be published.. The affair had in fact got into official hands, and a deficit was its By-and-bye the admini- normal condition. strations concerned grew tired of always paying out, and the managers were given to understand, that they would have to make both ends meet, while the "shareholders clamoured for dividends. Under presssure from b th, the institution developed into a plain business concern, though where the profits, which were certainly earned, went has never been explained. The Company kept itself afloat, provide for renewals, and It is R
kept its fleet in good order and condition, and on the whole, so far as externals and the public were concerned, was ably conducted, and gave no offence, nor created any scandals nor were complaints made of unfair treatment nor unjust preferences; so that whatever the shareholders might have to complain of, neither the public, nor the other competitors for freight had any cause for grumbling. It may have been the case that the management was not very pro- gressive, but that was a failing which it hared with all the other associations plying on the coast or rivers, and, as reasonable facilities were afforded to the owners of freight, and the China Merchants Co. in no respect fell below the level of the others, no serious occasions of complaint, such as might have afforded a ground for the in erposition of Government, were to be noted against it.
con-
churches which are enjoined in connection with the celebration are intended to en force the lesson of the importance of character in Empire building. movement which, as Lord MEATH coives it, would have delighted the her of JOHN RUSKIN and THOMAS CARLYLE. This side of Empire-building is enforc ed by a quotation from JOHN STUART Amoy readers will be interested in the follow-
MILL, a man not over given to sentiment ing paragraph from the Manila (ublenews in which it bears the heading Amoy no longer a
and poetry, who concludes a great work on dirty port: the City buys disinfecting ship from power and strength of nations by saying, the Bureau of Health "Amoy is now on a par After all, the worth of a state is in the long with Hongkong as a port from which Chinese run the work of the individuals composing passengers may come to the Philippines almost ¡ it.” "The prosperity of a country," says with impunity as far as the public health laws another great intellect, "after all depende of the islands are concerned. There was a time not on the abundance of its revenues, not when it was necessary from time to time to declare both these ports "dirty" owing to then the strength of its fortifications, nor in frequent outbreaks of cholera or plague. but the beauty of its public buildings, but it since Hongkong installed a modern disinfecting consists in the number of its citizens who plant that trouble has abated. The burean are inen of character. Here are to be found of health has just sold to the authorities its true in erests, its chief strength, its real in Amoy a ship that was used formerly in Cebu for the purpose of disinfecting and which has become unnecessary owing to the installation of a new land plant. The ship was sold for 16,00 and will be taken at once to Amoy and that port will then be on a level with Hongkong and the need to declare it "dirty" will cease.
power. That which raises, strengthers, dignifies a country, that which s reads her power, creates her influence, makes her respected and submitted to, bends the heart of millions, and bows down the pride of uations to her. In a word, her true throne,
In view of all this, it is by no me ins to be wondered at that the shareholders, remem- bering the past, should protest In, un- mistakeable terms against the proposed assumption of the Company by the Metro-
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