$30
"BITS OF CHINA."
An official has petitioned the Board of Education to draw up regulations for inflicting fines on the foot-binding females of the Empire.
The President of the Censorate has proposed to install a letter box on the outside door of that department in order that people with sugges- tions may deposit their ideas in writing therein.
The Viceroy in Canton is reported to have impeached a number of employees in the service of the Canton-Hankow Railway for committing malpractices and accepting money by false pre- tences, etc. The Board of Posts and Commu- nications has been ordered to investigate the matter.
An official report gives Kwangtung's revenue from all forms of gambling as $6,641,444.598 a year, made up as follows:-$4,196,198.15 from fan tan, $2,354,857.133 from Chi Po and Shan lotteries, and $50,389,2 from, ordinary lotteries.
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The State Council has proposed to confer on all Viceroys and Governors of the various provinces the extra title of High Commis- sioner for Deliberation of Government Affairs." All the Ministers of the Grand Council have endorsed this proposal except a certain Grand Secretary
of
Following an idea that mot with no success in Korea an Association has been inaugurated at Tientsin with the object raising subscriptions to pay off the Empire's debt to foreign countries. The Prince Regent has proposed to confer a rank of 3rd or 4th grade of the Grand Court on the promoter of the Association.
H. E. Lu Chuan-ling, member of the Grand Council, has suggested that negotiations of diplomatic questions in Manchuria between China and Japan should not be conducted in secret, because misunderstandings often happen through secrecy between foreigners and Chinese. This suggestion is not approved of by the other members of the Grand Council.
The Prince Regent is reported to have personally memorialized the Empress Dowager on the following questions, namely, the read- justment of the finances of the Imperial house- hold next spring, the appropriation of a certain portion of the Emperor's private money for the projected reforms, and the fixing of the amount of the Emperor's monthly expenses pending the settlement of the whole question of the annual disbursements in the Palace.
The Board of Finance some time ago requested the provincial authorities to report on the copper currency and to state whether there were too many coins of this metal in circulation. A Northern contemporary now states that the provincial authorities have reported that these coins are most convenient to trade and there is always a great demand for them. Instead of being too numerous there are not enough to supply the demand. Besides, a lot of foreign cents have come into the country lately, and permission should be given to con- tinue minting Chinese copper money so as to keep out the foreign coins.
this
The authorities at Peking, says a Northern contemporary, seem to be much alarmed at the report that the foreign Powers are going to propose at the coming Hague Conference that China's finances be controlled by foreigners. The Prince Regent is said to have enquired of Grand Councillors Shih Hsu and Na Tung and Prince Tsai Tse whether they could suggest anything to prevent danger. The two latter are reported to have replied that though it was important to re-adjust the national finances yet the effort would be of no avail without the help of the people. As the people of several provinces had proposed to raise funds to pay off the foreign debts, advantage should be taken of this frame of mind to induce the other provinces to follow suit, and they suggested that the best way to do it
was to hasten the establishment of a Parliament. His Imperial Highness, the report adds, was rather pleased with this proposal.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
SUPREME COURT,
Friday, December 10th.
In Summary; JURISDICTION. BEFORE HIS HONOUR MR. H. H. J.
GOMPERTZ (PUISNE JUDGE).
BERTELONE'S AFFAIRS. Mr. M. J. D. Stephens appeared for W. S. Bailey and Co. in an action brought against G. Bertelone for $325, and said that since the issue of the writ a petition in bankruptcy had been filled and it would come on in Bankruptcy Jurisdiction on the 16th inst. He thought the matter had better be adjourned pending the result of the petition.
His Lordship agreed.
There was another action against the same defendant at the instance of W. Jack and Co., who claimed for :124.60.
NO COMPROMISE.
S. Greenfield sued P. Goldring for $55 for supplying certain chairs. Mr. Leo d'Almada appeared for the defendant., and informed his Lordship that defendant had offered $37. His Lordship-Do you accept that? Plaintiff No.
The hearing was then fixed for next Friday.
CLAIM BY. A GOVERNESS,
Miss Eve Engledow sued Mrs. Lydia Prior, of 6, Victoria View, Kowloon, for $443.50, damages for alleged wrongful dismissal from her position as governess to defendant, Mr. Pagett Hett appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. P. S. Dixon, from the office of Mr. R. Harding, appeared for the defendant.
[December 20, 1909.
Mr. M. W. Slade, instructed by Mr. F. B“ Deacon (of Messrs. Deacon, Looker and Deacon), appeared for the plaintiff, and Sir Henry Berkeley, K.C., instructed by Mr. Otto Kong, Sing, represented the defendants.
The statement of claim set forth that the defendants had falsely and maliciously printed and published, or caused to be procured and printed and published, an article which on being translated was to the effect that the plaintiff grossly maltreated a woman who was with child. In the defence filed the defendants denied that the words of the article in question had the signification assigned to them in the statement of claim. The words were incapable of any defamatory meaning.
Mr. Slade, in opening, 'stated that the Basil Mission, of which the plaintiff was president in Hongkong, was incorporated by an Ordinance, and carried on missionary work among the Hakkas in the Province of Kwangtung and in the neighbouring provinces. The mission had some 17 stations, and among them a station at Ho Yuen, where, last year, they were about to build a hospital. The hospital. at the time the article complained of appeared was in process of being built, and in the station of Ho Yuen the Mission had a missionary and a doctor named, respectively, Sautter and Vortisch. Dr. Vortisch had been there for some time engaged in trying to cure all who came to him for assistance. and everything was going on as smoothly as could be. The Mission had been promised large subscriptions for the erection of the hospital, and to meet the wishes of the Chinese they had made special arrangements by enlarging the proposed plans for the building of special wards, This happy state of affairs was put a rude stop to by the article which was published in the defendant paper. The defence challenged plaintiff's translation of that article, but he was glad to say it was only in com- paratively few parts, therefore the jury would not have to listen to very much discussion as to the meaning of Chinese words, and he believed the plaintiff would easily satisfy them that his translation was the correct The defence said that this was merely a ona. description of an actual surgical operation performed, and published with no mala fides, He presumed but simply as an article of news. that the editor of the defendant paper was a Chinese scholar. The words in the heading of the article were a verbatim quotation from one of the Chinese classics, and the four characters together formed a phrase which was known throughout the length and breadth of China as one of the most infamous charges made against one of the early emperors of that nation. five Chinese classics-one might call them the Bible of Confucianism-were known to Chinese better that our Bible. Probably the story from which these words were taken was the story of one of the most execrated emperors who ever sat upon the throne of China. The words used in regard to that emperor's act were the very characters Mr. Hett-We have no money, but defendantput at the head of the article complained of, and
Mr. Hett said the defendant had filed an application for security for costs and in support of that Mr. Dixon had filed an affidavit. He (Mr. Hett) wished to apply that that affidavit should be struck out. He strongly objected to security for costs.
His Lordship-It is the usual course. Mr. Hott-Not, my lord, if the plaintiff has been driven out of jurisdiction by withholding money due to her.
His Lordship-Rightfully or wrongfully? Mr. HettI suppose my friend would say rightfully. Continuing, he said that defendant had no right to put on the affidavit that defendant made an offer without prejudice.
His Lordship did not think that defendant was entitled to do so.
Mr. Hett added that there were other para- graphs which he wished to be struck out.
His Lordship said that Mr. Hett had better come to him in chambers.
Mr. Hett said if defendant succeeded his client would be in Court and defendant could put her in prison..
His Lordship suggested that if the case were going to be strenuously fought pleadings had better be ordered.
has.
Mr. Dixon-I don't think it is a case for pleadings, my lord.
The hearing was fixed for Monday week,
Monday, December 13th.
IN ORIGINAL JURISDICTION.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR MR. W. REES DAVIES, K. C. (ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE).
ACTION FOR LIBEL.
The case Was continued in which the President in Hongkong of the Basil Evangelical Missionary Society proceeded against the Hongkong Sheung Po Co., Ltd., of 13, Connaught Road Central, and Hong Wa, editor and publisher, to recover the sum of $10,000 damages for an alleged libellous article which was printed in the Sheung Po.
The case, which was heard before a special jury, arises out of a report sent to the defendant newspaper from the interior of China relating to an operation which was said to have been performed on a woman in one of the Mission hospitals. The jury empanelled contained Messrs. M. S. Northcote (foreman), A. Babing. ton, W. A. Dowley, A. Bryer, A. J. David, H. P. White and A. G. Gordon.
The
was
those words did not refer to a proper medical operation, but imputed an abominable crime. With regard to the rest of the article, the defendants said that the doctor collected the bowels of the woman, and then hid her body in stream, obviously to conceal what he had done. The President of the Mission was naturally very frightened on account of that article, for he feared there might be a repetition of the Limehow massacre from the character of the words used against the foreigners to stir up hatred, and to incite to massacre and pillage. The missionary and doctor from this station would tell the jury that the story founded to an extent on fact, but the real facts were absolutely innocent, and it was the defendants who had dressed out the facts and added malicious falsehood. They had, in fact, add- ed to the whole story for the purpose of bringing down the hatred of the people upon this Mission. On December 13th Dr. Vortisch was asked to go to see a woman with child in the native city. He found the sick woman in a precarious state, and had her taken to the hospital. After administering an anesthetic and making an examination he found that the child was dead, and on endeavouring to remove it found he was unable to do so without an operation. But no operation was performed; there was no cutting of any kind, sort or description. While the doctor was trying to deliver the
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