THE FAR EAST.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 45, 16 November 1907, Page 10

THE FAR EAST.

UNREST IN CHINA. NOTES FROM HONGKONG. (FEOM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) Hongkong, October 6. China's revolution continues to attract tho attention :**ef : -the* of tho Empire, who are coifttantly ;> B*eiiig called on by'tlio. Throne to'"suggest" a:.meahs for allaying'{lie' unrest of-,-,tho peopje. Arms aro being into the ( Kcountry systematicallyiMany of tho robels aro well armed. A fort 1 night ajK''. 'of goods; marked "hardwajp" .wer.o, ( ..s.eiised .in a Hongkong ' store, .rjhoy. all rifles, bayonets, and bcltsyiof Japaneso make. Tho rifles had, . apparently, been manufactured more for pur- . poses oKsa'le, weapons of'destruction,' .to*, appear like modern' boltr action military, rifles,.- thoy. .were smooth, boro. guns, and tawdry. ■' in tho extreme. , Tho Hongkong'authorities still hold them, and . are endeavouring,to trace their ownership. In respqnso to a ..'.request from .tho Chijiese ! Government tho Hongkong authorities. have promised'to do everything possible to prevent the smuggling of-'&niJs.' ' L ; ' ; ; FOR CHINA. :,; k?<

VicoroJfC' Change ' Chili, China's _ veteran statesmany-has-advisfe'd the immediate 'establishment of a Parliament'* the appointment of "-■rillagfe-representatives, and tho pardoning, of all laombers of-'-anti-Government-political; societies:'* , ; He lids 1 sjated that tho establish-, merit of'Parliamentis tho only way to remove the ill feeling between ilanchus , and Chinese. Yuan-Shi *Kai, the strong Irii'aii in China's politics,«'is continually ''warningthe throne that the adoption of stringent repressive measures against the revolutionaries is likely to lead to a general, rising of the people. The re-assertion of this. Viceroy's personality at Court is ono of the most significant signs of, tho great awakening of the Empire. Yuan Shi Kai has' always stood boldly for reform and progress. For a.jwhile he was.-iil favour with tho:Enw press, -vfiut intriguers'; plotted against. 'him,' and \Ai'>z power,-''' Was' curtailed. But'his strength of purpose prevailed, and to-day ho stands higher than ever in China's .politics.; Tho entire Court , looks upon him as tho one man who can savp;>China from-chaos..; Ho js the generally;-... accepted Prime Minister when tho how Cabinet is formed. Ho is a comparatively young man, and should ho bo spared sufficient)v long enough, his name may.go down tHfoijgh.future■■ ages" as tliff. creater of a new'Chinai.'' '■ ' :'-\ '-"' : KOREAN , , ' ; . Though Japan is announcing to the world that the pacilicatioii of Korea is being accomplished, those who resido .in that mucli- : troubled country say otherwise. . Tlio;peo-: pie are in a state of turbulence, and, .under-, tbo. present regime, it looks as though nothing ? short '-of -tho'extinction' of, tho people' will bring quiet. The 'Government is now in the hands of a nation that ha.v.rjot; the confidence of the Korean people, though' the.Koreans, like tho Chinese, recognise.that there is in their country's Government much that calls for reform., Yet Koreans complain, that under the present conditiona. it is for a patriotic' Korean to , hold a'position in the Cabinet; -for "no man can serre-two masters." Tho retired" Ein : peror and the Rejgning Emperor have been separated one-from" "the other,' and -this' has' angered the • Koreans. This . separation rudely broke J a I companionship' which had continued for- over §j quarter of a cei!(turV; ; as for this time jthoti'Emperor and his'ifathe'r; have lived, ate, aiid slept in the same house. It is thought that tho separation carries behind it furthor delsigns upon Korea, anatlmt l annexation- is what Japan is slowly, but Burcly, accomplishing.- ■■• ■ • ■ ■ ■"•- !■'

commercial development in ' . .■ ■,- '.' ;japan. ■•; ; -, . ;-" Several com'putations ; of' the l total : 'webit!i :; of. Japan have from timo. to •' tiine been made. The, most recent,' and-, probably : the "most satisfactory has just been i'ssue<l,"ahd places j tho capitalised wealth at £2,311,000,000,; excluding Formosa.: A very considerable in-, dustrial and commercial J development' of' Japan in the futjiro would not be a matter for surprise, but/only the'normal course of;, events'. • Slie'.possesses large, forest'ireaSj' while expansion is-to be expected in such, industries as cotton spinning, sugar-refiningi matchmaking, etc. For all this the. introduction of foreign'capital will be desired. There is one almost 'insurmountable ■ barrier' between the white merchants and the Japanese. It-is the old question of the infringing of trade marks. As the law stands at present, the oversea,,.trader..has very li'ttlcpro-. tection, fqr, unless-the label complained of is an exact imitation of the.ond allojj'od fo be infringed, it is difficult to get an order' from the Japanese Courts. Messrs. Buchanan ,and Son, of whisky- fame, are at present fighting a test' case, tho result of which will;be watched withiinterest.by merchants doing business with ■ Japan.' TheChinese Government has just issued a pro-, clamation warning its subjects that, heavy penalties will be inflicted on persons caught copying tho trado marks of European and American firms. •. ,: . : . : , !; IN HONGKONG'S COURTHOIJSEi;

The visitor to Hongkong ■ who doesniot pay a visit to.thovMagistracy, and listen .to fcho babel of tongues to bo heard there.whilo tho previous day's 'arrests aro being "weighed* off" misses one of tho most interesting sights-that the city of Victoria can provide. The colony of Hongkong has three nationalities in her. police forceBritish (mostly, Scotch!), Sikhs, and'Chiiiese. The'evidence of both tho .Sikhs .and/'thc Chinese-is.given through interpreters: And when, as is often the, case, for Hongkong is ( the largest' shipping part in the world-, ■ a Swedish, or French,,or Russian sailor is ; the defendant, another ■ interpreter is' necessary/ bo that the defendant may bo told what is alloged against him. Sometimes a Portuguese fi'pm Hongkong or Macao brings, an action'against a "Chinese, and thus necessitates throe languages being used in .Court, for all must bo translatedsinto Not "Knp ago ono of thb/'very latest Scotch recruits for'the polico'iforce; was giving evidence in the Supreme' CJmKV The presiding judge found some difficulty in', following ,his ''accent," and suggestedsthe providing-'of still another" ,ihterproter.- : 'v.-At; tho Magistracy tho proceedings ;arc, : ; however, less decorous than at the- Higher. Court, and the Gaelic policemen get through' ; the work in brisk fashion. When the Court opens thero aro !! usually thirty or fortyChiiKjSQ") prisoners-j/sqiiatting on- their haunches in the rajled off dock. They aro mostly.:of tho coolib class, and the magistrate runs through the list in quick style. The prisonor receives his sentence always in silence. ■, Tho Chinaman is a fatalist; his creed is what is to bo must be. Besides he would lose "faco" if ho protested. So he walks to .the door, ( of- the dock, whoro the arresting Sikh, or lufcori (Chinese policeman) catches hold of his pigtail, and, leads him into tho gaol next'door. It is only when a Chinaman, who has been banished from nongkongs but has .returned from uncongenial China, is called on to give reasons for his presence again in British territory, that ono gets ; a vjre'al glimpso' of tho celestial's .ingenuousness. One recently told tho magistrate that when he was banished to China ho found his countrymen there

nnkind, and, as ho liked kindness, ho re-

turned to British territory. . A second said he found the climafcfi cold in China, and ho oamo back to Hongkong to get his warm clothes.?; ■• •' ';■■" ' •' ' ' ' Abbvo'tlio magistrate's head a clock tick, ticks , tliroughout the .stories told in many tongues.'' ' It tells'only ono story—of tho fleeting; of time.:■ VUut this old 'timepiece played a part in ono of the drollest stories associated with tho Hongkong courts. While the magistrate was dispensing justico one morning,, a coolie- quietly walked into Court and placed a bariiboo' ladder against tho 'wall;, mounted it, and stole tho clock. Police inspectors, lukons,:and'Sikhs—not to mention tho magistrate—watched him take it away, nnd nobody attempted to interfere with him. They thought ho had been sent to remove the clock for purposes of-repair. Tho Chinaman likes going to law. As in most other parts of the world there is in

tho East; a deal of gamblo an d chance in litigation, and it is this very association of gambling that fascinates .the Chinaman, for he dearly loves, to play, a ,'gamc of chanco. Hongkong courts' aro forever being called on to.sottlo onp form of legal question—to decide'whether have existed between Chinese. When a Chinese firm becomes bankrupt it is the usual thing for all tho members th - cre.'of Ito ddlvylthat they were partners in it: ' 'They usually allege that whatever money they put in to tho business was only a loan, advanced to some Chinaman who, rboforo. the caso comes into ,Cpurt,_has decaujped'into Chinese territory. :Tho Court jnotc.; often;than not decides that there has,been.a .partnership, and if tho litigant , c'aii"raise tho money he usually ap,peals till i he. reaches'* tho final point of'the laws; .procedure.,;. end of -liis capital mid his borrowing powers. 7 : . ;■■' V -.;, •'SQUEEZE." >■ .'■Permeating, all-'through life in -tho East is!.ono* word—"sqiieeze''." If you send your houseboy *to,.iiiakb the smallest purchase he will walk'miles'in order to get one cent in commission-for himself-rtit is his \\Vhon ho tells'you,that he can buy goods for your household at.a cheaper you hayo been paying,ut is as well to lot him havo his way. i'ou will get; t>)]C; articles cheaper than you could buy them yourself, but he will get a bigger "squeeze. , ; If it* ■were, not for tho latter fact, a transfer of your custom would never havo been suggested'. To niako something by petty theft, -or-by-.mcans* of a "squeeze," is the salt of vlifo ;to..tho Vcoolio j-houseboy. If you paid : him: twicer tho'ainfiurit! 1(1 cash he would not .feel 'nearly;.s.o.. satisfied. A friend who emtailors, paid itliejii: high.ox.-.w.agos-thaii ruled generally in the trade. As is tho custom everywhere in

tlio East-r-h'is-cmployeos'wcre searched before tJiey* Icfb'tlibi.-liuilding each evening. Pcr--liap3-it. was-tliat'r.his watchmen were more than, usually, careful; at any rate tho coolies "ifould not-stay 1 : Itfng Thoy preferred TJval firms ( at smaller wages. Oho day lio asked'a departing tailor why., they all-left ho paid better wages than his competitors. Tho reply was. characteristic of the Chinese view of life.'"--""! 'cajinot get any 'squeeze,'"he saidj,"and,.l cannot steal, even a little- bit of ""so littlo.l(ijl)it? That is no good." And ho we'nt toftnd-a billot where

there .was',a- chance adding .over so few centsV month',td.h?s method, tliaf .had.:.*s ; ome':.'siiggfc.sti(ln', ami darkness about it. was too'prossjic u--I^^ ' •Tlio ChinCso "has;' ai'woiiderfu] '-jialont for misunderstanding.'-.' Be^does' not'always act on what he is told, but'on'what ho "understands" ho was toldjr.gntl'j.lii} i_s,.,usljally con"understands" _ should 'bo'tKe'Uiasis.'of.ithe.-.bargain, oven if it is quitdrdiffeferit'ifromlthe real instructions. It was part of the.torins.bf.the exactions made •by the , -'gre'at'pb¥ers ; 'after ; Hhe Boxer Rising that-a.monument should.be erected to the memory-ofi'B.ardiv!'y.oh 'Kctttirdr." ' Accord-jngly,.:i",'m^"lim'wi^:-'(V?ls erected on the snot wiyiiffitWc.ligg'tifin^ , grounds where that diplomat was murdered. But the Chinese • talent- ; for ~ RmisundefsiiahdiKg" 1-- i-tos nega-

tiived tho "loss of face" which it was intended this .exaction would achieve. Tho Chinaman in-Pekin will assure you that the statu'e"is a memorial to the man who killed

tlj'o foreigner.! 'j. Though bijo is.for ever rcad'ihg of the progress'..of , ', and of the spread of pducation within its grep t territory, inst(ineß3-arc plentifully '-owlenf 'tlat Chitia is still a barbaric nation. Woochow was last week. tho. scene of a .most, disastrous firo. Tho Taotai visited the scone, and became groatly. alarnied'-.:'afc'.;th6.iext6nt.-:of tho■ conflagration Ho.jordered. that a notorious criminal—a robber who had" been caught red-ibahdedT-should,.be-brought piifc .ofi-prison and uehcadb'd, so' : Incerise" was li'urned""a'rid' , 'tlte tffifoHjinato thief Was despatched; to-the land oHvis,ancestors! SJfedV.-saysjSlholofflcifflivroport, tho spread of tho fire was at once" checked. Poor, un,happyNoliina.!, i..iXft)i.;have,ia:-,, lqng road . to travel yet,before you step out of paths of barbarity to.tho dearer ways of civilisation. '■■ .'■•■■■-'..',.";'.'■.. ~:~A. "".,"-'