CAB11-57-2 — Page 88

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The magistrate is aided in his duties by secretaries or shihye, who are placed in charge of the departments dealing with crime, revenue, and official correspondence, and by a staff of police or runners, whose duties are referred to more in detail under the head of police.

The magistrate may inflict corporal punishment, and possesses the power of imprisonment, but is not empowered to sentence prisoners to death.

Military Officers.

In addition to the civil officers there are several military officers in the district. The highest of these is the Taip'ang Hip or colonel commanding at Taipang, a town to the north-east of Mirs Bay. This officer has also quarters at Kowloon, and for this reason is commonly known as the Kowloon Mandarin. He is under the control of the General or Ti Tu of the Kwongtung province, and has under his command several officers and some troops.

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Map VII. shows where the various officials are stationed. It will be observed from map that as a rule the petty military officers, who control the islands, do not reside on them, but have their headquarters at Taipʻang, on the mainland.

Prisons.

There is one main prison, situated at Namt'au, and under the control of an officer entitled Tien Shih. The prison is built to accommodate 120 persons, but is seldom occupied by more than 30 or 40. In addition to the prison there are six lock-ups, one for each of the four Tung or Divisions, into which the district is divided, and two under the control of the deputy magistrates, for detaining persons pending trial.

Police.

There are two classes of police in the district. One class, called ch'ai or runners, is stationed in the district city under the control of the magistrate. They are about 60 in number and are sent, as occasion requires, throughout the district for a variety of purposes, including the making of arrests, the collecting of the land tax, and acting generally as the eyes and ears of the magistrate. They receive no pay from Govern- ment, but manage to earn a fair livelihood by illicit squeezes.

In addition to this class of police, there are, in each village throughout the district, at least two kang fu or village constables, who are appointed by the village, and paid out of contributions made by the villagers according to the extent of their holdings in land. Large villages have five or six constables, the head constable being styled Tipó. Their duty is to keep watch, especially at night. They have the power of arrest, which is deputed to them by the gentry and elders of the village.

Local Government in the Villages.

If a person is arrested by a village constable, he is taken before the gentry and elders of the village, who assemble in a place specially appointed for the purpose. The gentry and elders, who are the representatives of the clans inhabiting the villages, are selected by the inhabitants to deal with cases in the village council. The usual cases are those of theft, disputes about land, domestic squabbles, and cases of debt. Most of these cases are summarily dealt with by the village council, and as a rule the decision of that council is accepted as final. But if either of the parties to a case is dissatisfied, he can appeal to a council of the Tung, or to a general council, made up of representa- tives of the different Tung. A reference to Map VI. will show how the newly leased territory is divided into Tung or Divisions. Each council of a Tung contains repre- sentatives of the villages which make up the Tung. In addition to a council of a Tung there is a general council for the whole of the Tung Lo or Eastern Section, which is practically that portion of the district of San On contained in the map attached to the Convention (Map I.). This general council is styled the Tung Ping Kuk or Council of Peace for the Eastern Section. It has its council chamber at the market town of Sham Chun, which is regarded as the centre of the Eastern Section.

If the decision of the council of the Tung or of the General Council is not regarded as satisfactory, an appeal lies to the magistrate of the district.

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