Four wharf coolies were charged with extorting money from other coolies. Mr. Marshall, of Messrs. Melchers and Ca., was in attendance, and from the evidence adduced it seemed that on the wharves were gangs of cargo coolies employed by rival stevedores, and when one. gang was unsuccessful in obtaining employment they extorted money from the others under threats. Inspector Mellows of the River Police having given evidence the Court ordered that the men should each genie 300 blows and be deported to Chefoo.
Damaging Telephone Wires, A building contractor was proceeded against by the Shanghai Mutual Telephone Ca., Ld, on a charge of damaging the wires of the telephone system. Mr. L.
Jones appeared to prosecute on behalf of the Company and said that the particular charge in this case was of damaging wires in Broadway, between Boone Road and the Creek, but the Company wished it to act as an example to contractors in general who, by their negligence in erecting scaffolds, were the cause of more complaints being made to the Telephone Company than all other causes. The Company had of ate had many complaints of broken wires in the Hongkew district, and 42} per cent of the breakages reported were the result of operations by building contractors.
Mr, Gustav Oberg, General Manager of the Company, stated that this contractor had erected six scaffold poles, which were 3 feet G inches further out than the limits permitted by the Municipal Regulations, and right alongside the wires. About a month ago he was in receipt of frequent complaints that wires in Hongkew were being interfered with, so went to discover the reason if possible. Ho soon found the defendant's scaffolding was to blame, as the poles were actually touching the wires. He got his clerk to speak to the contractor, but found that there was no person on the works in any authority, and speaking to the workmen only resulted in bad language being returned. However, he left word for the contractor to be informed of the damage his scaffolding was doing. Complaints still coming in he went to the building again with his foreman, but was still unable to find the contractor, so placed the mates in the hands went on to say that prosecutions woul of the Company's solicitors. Mr. Oberg have been initiated against contractors {long ago, only that the telephone being a comparatively new introduction they thought it fair to give the Chinese a little time to get used to it. In putting up caffolds, sun-blinds, etc., the wires were simply ignored, and if they interfered with the operations they were broken off without the least. compunction. Most contractors on being remonstrated with were more careful and endeavoured to avoid further damage, but not so the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.