Wuchang, June 9.
Last Saturday was the Dragon Boat Festival. Tt, kept usual, as a general holiday; but the usual' racing in boats on the river was forbidden. The rumour got about that the reason for this prohibition was fear of a political disturbance. This rumour had a plausible foundation in the fact of the arrest of six labour agitators in Wuchang, as I reported last week. The six were taken to Tayang and five of them were iinmedintely executed there. News has since come to hand that the lawyer, Lin Feng, who was temporarily spared in deference to the telegram from the Provincial Assembly, has. since suffered the fate of the other five, But in all probability, the pro hibition of racing had nothing to do ith this political unrest, It was imply with a view to preventing the senseless quarrels and loss of life that nearly always accompany these occasions. The boat races lat used to be held in connexion with the Dragon Boat Festival nearly always led to clan quarrels, and very frequently, in the fury of these disputes, people were pushed into the water and drowned. The legislation may be grandmotherly; but it is apparently necessary in order to protect such grandchildren from themselves.
A comedy has recently been enacting itself in Hankow over the election of a new Chairman of Directors to the Hankow Electric Lighting & Waterworks Ca., which is now a Chinese company und native control. Five or six wee ago, the term of office of the Chairman of Directors having expired, 2 meeting of shareholders was called together to elect There were two candidates for the po tone being a local gentleman and the other from another province. This fact led to a great deal of jealousy, The was Violently opposed by the local clique and the meeting broke up in disorder, A. second attempt was made a week later to elect a Chairman, but it ended in the same way. After this, the Governor took matters in hand and a third meeting was cal ed under special orders. The doors were guarded by police, and only those shareholders who promised to vote in the right way were admitted. But even this measure did not succeed in solving the problem. The Chairman was duly elected; but his election was followed by the resignation of the majority of the directors, so it has since been impossible to hold any board-meetings. Since these works supply the whale of Hankow, both native city and concessions, with electricity and drinking water, it is of the utmost importance that their efficiency should be maintained, 'A strike of workers has been anticipated, succeeding to the manifest discontent of the shareholders, and in order to guard against this a strong guard of soldiers have been placed on duty, night and day over the works. Every employee is kept closely to his duty, and all going and coming, except of authorized persons, es forbidden. How long this state of things can continue, it is hard to say. ries' Identical Aims and Ideals Frou Our Own Connesrowoest, Tsingtao, June 5, With the arrival of the American, cruiser Huron, the social pulse of Tsingtao quickened. A reception was given by Governor Kao-En-hung and Admiral Wen Shou-teh on Mons day afternoon at Forest Park. On Tuesday afternoon, the American consular officials were hosts to the officers of the fleet and many of the American community.
'At' the banquet given by. Governor Kao Enchung and 1 Wen in honour of val, Thomas Washington and tat, his Excellency, course of a charming speech, account of their geographical si tion, had always lad iterant de-Flean and Chinese nations, with their of temperament, but the
ries, natural xes0u ces and natural means of, com= nunfeation had always found little heed to compete with other coun tries, There was identical love of pence on the part of the: America Chinese peoples, Tt was. the tie that bound the United States and China to.a common eause—the preservation of peace.
Tu 1868, the Governor continued, broke out between england; land France on the one hand, and Ghina on the other. It. was' only. ough the mediation of the United States that peace was eventually stored. Subsequently, in 1868, Pu Anchen, Chih Kang and Sun Kia-ku vere appointed by the Chinese Go ernment to visit Europe on a peace commission, the United. States Ten ing very generous assistance. "It might, be interesting to you know," Mr. Kao said, ""that the American who went with that Come mission, and who was known to the Chinese as Pu An-chen, died on account of over-exertions this commendable service. This was the first appointment of Ambassadors to foreign coun tries in Chinese history." After that the relations between China and America became closer and closer, culminating in the support extended to this country at the Washington Conference, by which the peace of the Far East was secured—an achievement which would forever have a place in the minds of the Chinese people.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.