July 19, 1909.]
to stray on the railway. was the alliterative reply General. He might have fence, no offence.
No fence, no fine,"
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
my own opinion is that the China coast jour- of the. Attorney-nals instead of villifying Manila simply ignore expressed it "No it. And it is this fact that stings. That a pushful people like the Americans should be ten years in the Philippines doing great things and not have the Orient ringing with their praises seems inexplicable to them. But however unpalatable it may be to our American triends it is none the less true. At the time of the Carnival when the Hongkong journalists were hospitably received in Manila, certain of the fair city's newspapers remarked that the China coast people would now "discover that the Philippines was on the map," and therein we note the American feeling of disappoint ment that they have not received the recogni- tion they expected. Neither they nor their fair city of Manila nor the lovely Philippines have boen "knocked." As a matter of fact they have been left severely alone.
It looks as if business were meant when our Legislature has been asked to pass a railway bill providing for the administration of, our little venture on the Kowloon side. I am told that there is a possibility that in the conduct of the railway we might have to face the old problem which has worried the police and the mag istrates for years, namely, When is a man drunk? The new ordinance contains certain provisions for dealing with intoxicated persons, and I am in- formed that the query of one official member as to whether it was intended to provide medical men for each station in order to have them handy to decide whether a passenger was drunk or not was not taken seriously. We remember it was asserted that a man was not drank if he could walk straight, but this test was felt to be too severe and it was declared that a man need not be considered intoxicated if he had the savvy to. lie in the gutter and hold on by the kerb. But possibly we may not have so much trouble in this direction as is anticipated. After all we have to remember that it is the drunk Occidental who gives most trouble. The obfuscated Celes- tial is extremely rare.
散
The little discussion that took place at the Legislative Council on Thursday aiming at the preservation of the public right to bathe at Stonecutters has recalled to the recollection of old residents an amusing incident which occurred nearly thirty years ago when landing was strictly forbidden on Stonecutters' Island by the military authorities. One of the first offenders was Mr. A. J. Leach who at the time was Attorney General. The military police- man being no respecter of persons, or, like an asylum warder, not given to believing all that is told him, promptly conveyed the protesting A.G. to the Yaumati Police Station, where, of course, he was recognised at once and immediately released from custody. One of these days, when the verbal assurances given at the ouncil meeting are forgotten, an Attorney-General may get lugged out of the water at Stonecutters and be taken over to the Yaumati Police Station in a bathing suit. The Inspector in charge might then have more diffi- culty in recognising the prisoner before him. The reflection that occurs to ine in this connection is that the public right to bathe within one hundred yards of the foreshore at Stonecutters ought to have been expressly stated in the Bill. Succeeding Generals will know nothing of the discussion in the Council Chamber; they will only have the Ordi ance before them.
And so the statue of Queen Alexandra is to be brought out of the godown at last. Possibly there were good reasons for the delay, but even we in the East who are not accustomed to undue haste might be pardoned for marvelling at the time it has taken to have this permanent memorial of the coronation of King Edward put up in Royal Square. It was three years after the coronation before the order was given for the statue to be soulptured, it took three years for the sculptor to complete his task, and it looks as if it will take another year before the statue is erected. I say, I have no doubt there are satisfactory explanations for the delays: I am only pointing out the delays.
A 8
Some of our American friends take them- selves very seriously. Two of them, a lady and gentleman, were making inquiries last week-end as to the Fourth of July celebrations in Hong- kong, and the lady seemed quite perturbed because only one hotel celebrated the occasion Her companion sought to comfort her with the remark, "Well, I guess it isn't a European celebration anyway. Which of course was quite right. To ask us to celebrate the Fourth July is twisting the lion's tail with a vengeance.
*
I notice that the Manila Cablenews-Ameri- can doesn't quite believe the Daily Press when the latter asserted that the attempts to "knock Manila #1
on the part of the China coast newspapers existed only in the fancy of certain imaginative writers down in the Philippines, I have no wish to join in the controversy, but
RODERICK RANDOM.
HONGKONG.
Mr. R. O. Hutchison has been appointed a deputy registrar of marriages.
We are officially informed that Newchwang has declared Hongkong to be an infected port.
During the absence on leave of Mr. E. A. Irving, Mr. T. K. Dealy will act as Director of Education.
His Excellency the Governor has appointed Mr. C. A. Melbourne to act as Deputy Registrar and Appraiser of the Supreme Court:
Two men who were arrested in connection with the piracy of a fishing junk at Deep Bay two or three weeks ago were on the 12th inst. committed for trial.
A week's notice is given in our advertisement columns by the Hongkong Ice Company, Ltd., of their intention to raise the price of ice to one cent per pound.
At the Magistracy on July 9th Mr. F. A. Hazeland fined 2 Chinese arrival from America $50 for having two daggers in his possession.
A merchant was at the Magistracy on July 13 fined $25 for having exposed five cases of kerosene in the street instead of having stored them in his well.
The Commissioners appointed to consider the delimitation of Macao are now holding their Consul-General for Portugal. conferences at the residence of Mr. J. J. Leiria,
For stealing a small piece of sand paper valued about ten cents from Quarry Bay an employee from the Dock there was on the 15 inst. at the Magistracy sentenced to three weeks' imprisonment.
It is expected that His Excellency the Viceroy of Canton will be entertained by the local Chinese when he visits Hongkong on the occasion of his leaving to take up his new appointment in the north.
A native has been arrested in connection with the supposed murder of a Public Works coolie near Shaukiwan Mr. J.R. Wood at the Magistracy on July 10th He was placed before
on the capital charge, and the hearing was adjourned.
made at the Hongkong Observatory during the An extract of meteorological observations month of June shows that the average maxi- mum temperature was 86.3 and the minimum 78.6 degrees. The rainfall during the month was 7.385 inches, and the sun shone for 230.3 hours.
A return showing the number of cases of communicable diseases which have been notified as occurring in the Colony of Hongkong during the week ended the 10th July, shows four Chinese cases of plague (one imported from Canton), two of enteric fever (one imported) and a case of puerperal fever.
A statement of the Colony's assets ou April 30th, published in the current Gazette, places the total liabilities at $394,211.63 and the total assets at $186,174.21, thus showing a debit balance of $208,037.42. Reimbursements due by railway constroution account total $1,430,960.30, while the balance of assets (General account) is $1,222,922.88.
51
The Penang Chinese who was recently ex′′ tradited from Hongkong has been committed for trial on the charge of falsifying the books of the Penang branch of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, and thereby obtaining $70,000.
*A Chinese foreman on board the s.s. Onsang tracy on July 13 on a charge of having attempt- was brought before Mr. Hazeland at the Magis- ed to commit suicide shortly after the steamer left Java by jumping overboard. He told his Worship that another member of the crew had assaulted him.
i he case was dismissed. out by the police. On July 15th two gangs who Gambling raids afloat are now being carried
had been arrested while gambling on board the Magistracy by Inspector Kerr and fines of cargo boats were brought before Mr. Wood at $25 each were inflicted in most cases. raid $45.35 had been captured and this sum was confiscated.
At one
A coolie appeared before. Mr. F. A. Hazeland at the Magistracy on July 9 on the charge of selling intoxicating liquor in the Hongkong Hotel boys' quarters at No. 7, Wallington Street. Defendant offered the excuse that he only sold the drink to fokis. A fine of $300 was imposed, the alternative being three months hard.
labour.
Another instance of kidnapping children from their parents was related at the Magistracy on July 13, when four men and a woman were Cantou. The prisoners brought the boys to charged with kidnapping two boys from Hongkong, where they sold them for $40 and were on their way back but, were arrested on board the steamer at the wharf. The case was remanded.
An unusual feature of a gambling raid carried out by P. S. Watt was that all those captured were women. It was known to the police that the house at 266, Queen's Road was being used for gambling purposes by women, but when the police forced their way in the keepers, two men, managed to escape. Mr. Hazeland ordered the women to be fined $5 each,
The merits and habits of dogs were lengthily discussed before His Honour the Puisue Judge in the Summary Court on July 12, and incident- ally, the powers of the policeman provoked considerable argument. Many sentences rounded off with "even if he is a policeman." detailing what a policeman should not do were
illumine the faces in Court when he remarked, Mr. Holborow, however, caused a smile to
"Even if he is a policeman he must be a human being," and his Honour backed the solicitor up so far as to say, "I hope so.'
"
A Wellington Street goldsmith informs the police that a Chinaman dressed in European costume and without a queue called at his shop and ordered a gold cash value $6.80, which he asked to be sent to the Chinese church in Wellington Street. It was accordingly sent by a foki, who on arrival at the church handed up the gold cash and was asked to wait outside. After remaining there for two hours he became tired and made inquiries which elicited that the man went out by the back door and disappeared.
Inspector Kerr prosecuted a Chinese for uttering counterfeit coin at the Magistracy on July 14 and secured two convictions against the man. His method was to go to a house in Ship Street, engage a room and tender a five dollar bill in payment of the dollar bargain money. Then he would find some pretext for quarrelling and asking his bill back. He.then returned four dollars in spurious coin. The fraud was discovered after he left and two women went after him and arrested him, after- wards handing him over to the police.
The following were invited to
dine at Government House on Thursday to meet His Excellency Kao Frh-chen and suite :-Mr S. W. To, Mr Chau Sui-ki, Mr Kwok Yik-ting, Mr Yung Him-pong, Mr Ng Li-hing, Mr Chiu Leang Pui-chi, Mr Ho Fook, Wr Lau Chu Pak, U-tin, Mr Li Yau-chun, Mr Lau Yam-tsun, Mr Mr Wei Yuk, Dr Ho Kai, Mr G. T. Lloyd, Mr Clementi, Mr P. N. H. Jones, Mr Gresson, Mr Law, Mr Harris, Mr Blanchflower, Mr
Murray Stewart, Mr Brewin, Sir Henry Berkeley, Commodore Lyon, Mr Hutchison, Mr Wodehouse, and Mr Fletcher.
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