(three), ©. F, Lindstrom (one), P. Martzinkevitch (four), D. Meluikoff (five), W. Otter (one), V. Smith (one), W. Swan (three), representing twenty-six votes out of fifty-six.
On the proposition of the Chairman, seconded by Dr. Clindening, Mr. D. Abbey was appointed Secretary to the Meeting.
The Notice convening the Meeting was taken as Regie cine Proposed by Dr. Clindening and seconded by Mr. Lindstrom that the Minutes of last year's Annual General Meeting be taken as read and confirmed. Carried.
The report and statement of accounts for 1907 and estimates for 1908 were then submitted. It was explained that since the circulation of the estimates, amended estimates had been submitted owing to the damage at the: 8.W. corner of the Bund having: assumed serious proportions, the repair of which will entail much larger expenditare than was allowed for in the original estimates.
Municipal Council's Report—The Secretary read the Council's Report for 1907, the adoption of which was proposed by Mr. Meloikoff and seconded by Mr. Martzinkeviteh. Carried un-
Accounts for 1907.—The accounts, which had been circulated, were then referred to, and their acceptance was Seconded by Captain Swan, Carried reposed by Dr. Clindening and
unanimously.
Estimates—The adoption of the estimates for 1908) in the amended form was by Mr. Melnikof trid exmedat seated Martzinkevitch and carried.
Public Steps and Jetty—The Chairman said he would like to make some remarks in relation to the item in the Estimates under the above head. Previous to the last annual meeting the Bund frontage bad not been leased to the shipping companies, but they were allowed to connect their hulks with the Concession against payment of nexion fee. By the institution of the new King's Regulation No. IV" on January 1, 1907, this system was abolished, and the Bund frontage leased out to the shipping companies, whose contracts with the lessors gave them the exclusive use of the sections s0 leased. Accordingly three sections of Bund frontage of 500 feet each were leased for the use of the steamers of the China Navigation Ca., Ld.. the Indo-a Steam Navigation Ca., Ld. and the Nippon Yusen Kaisha respect It was decided that the remaining vacant space in the central portion of the Bund should be reserved and a set of pablic steps and jetty constructed, so as to give those who had no leased frontage access to the Concession. This raised the question as to whether the (customs landing-stage, which for a number of! years had been placed on the Concession foreshore, should be allowed to remain. A similar landing-stage hed each winter! been placed by Messrs. Arnhold, Karberg'
+0. on the foreshore at the N.W. corner of the Concession, but the latter was not opposite any of the leased sections, These landing-stages constituted technical trespasses on the foreshore rights of the British Government, bat. no notice had been taken of them, because, until the new regulation came into force, they did not infringe any private contract, On the lease under the new regulation of the eastern portion of bund frontage to Messrs. Butterfield Swire, the Customs landing-stage, in addition to being a trespass on the foreshore, became also a trespass on the rights granted for their exclusive ase! to Messrs. Sutterfield & Swire, for allowing which trespass they rendered themselves liable to a penalty. The lessors could not make a contract with one party and at the same time condi at its infringement by a third party. He (the Chairman), as Consol, whil willing as an act of friendship towards the Chinese Government to grant to them or their agents any reasonable privileges which did oot run counter to the rules and regulations of the Concession, could not take upon himself 10 commit a double breach of regulation and contract by ignoring both the recently-issued instructions of the Britis ined in the new King's Regulation and the contract made between the lessors, viz.. the Consul and Municipal Council, of the tone part, and the lessees, viz., Messrs. Butterfield & Swire, of the other part, especially as the Ratepayers had, unanimous vote, decided to provide access to the Bund, for passengers and cargo, by means of a set of public steps: and a public jetty (now in course of construction) to be erected in the central unleased portion of Bund frontage situated between the portions leased to Messrs. Butterfield & Swire and Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Ca.. respectively. Consequently a good deal of correspondence ensued, the outcome of which was that the British Government, as owners of the foreshore, granted to Sir Robert Hart or his attorney permission to place s landing-stage on the foreshore, against payment of an annual rent, the Ianding-stage to be removable on twenty-four hours' notice to be given by His Majesty's Consul. Under the old system, the Imperial Maritime Customs being a Chinese Government department, the Customs Ianding-stage was a trespass by the Chinese Government on the foreshore rights of the British Gover ment. Under the present system, lot holder in the British Concession, iz., Sir Robert Hart or his attorney, paid an anonol rent to the British ly. Government for permission to place a landing-stage on the foreshore on the conditions already named. The substitution of Sir Robert Hart in his character of lot holder in the British Concession for the Imperial Maritime Customs, a department of the Chinese Government, brought the landing-sta within the regulations governing the Concession.
That, said the Chairman, was the history of the matter, and throughout the year he had failed to understand why so much unnecessary fuss had been made over so trifling a matter. Darin the last few years he, as Consul, hed had literally hundreds of cases to deal with, some of the utmost importance involving questions of life and death, bat they had been dealt with an settled without any of the raucous clamour which had arisen over these half-dozen planks on the foreshore mod, and it was because he thought that living in small places was apt to cause one to lose one's sense of proportion and so to obscure the trath, and also because the facts of the matter had been entirely misrepresented, that he now made these remarks.
One other matter, also, he thought might be referred to here as well at any other part of the proceedings, thnt was the action of several firms in leaving their business in the Concession in the hands of Chinese agente. [t was trae that these were only permitted under Consular guarantee and on condition that they could be turned out at any time and that they were not allowed to bring their families to reside with them, bat he had good reason for believing that the remarkably healthy and sanitary condition of the Concession was in very large measure due to the paucity of Chinese residents within its limits. He appealed to the public spirit and altruism of absentee firms to discontinue the practice as much as possible.
Capt. Otter then raised the point ith regard to the landing-stage belonging to Messrs. Arahold, Karberg & Ca. at the N.W. corner of the Concession, laying stress on the fact that it was of great public convenience and was largely used by passengers and persons lit ing business with the upper hulks. or for crossing the creek, The Chairman replied that the landing-stage constituted a technical trespass, and that the German hulk not being opposite the Concession but some distance beyond the creek, was too remote to be admitted as s sufficient reason for the erection of the Iandingstage in question.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.