Hong Kong and its Vicisity.

Samoanische Zeitung, Volume 23, Issue 30, 27 July 1923, Page 5

Hong Kong and its Vicisity.

(By H.J Moors) (Concluded.) On steamers sailing to Macao, and tho-»e going to Canton, the 2nd class Chinese passengers are herded on oue deck, and guarded tbire, and not allowed 10 roam about. Sink soldiers are employed as guards, and they appear reliable and ready to use their weapons if needed The captain's bouse on deck has usually one machine gun or more, and the deck itself is as much cleared as possible so that there will be l>ttle or no she ter tor pirates, who inquently come aboard the steamers as passeng-rs. and then o.erpower the guards and the engineers, take poss-ssioi of the ship, and line up the passengers and rob them of their money and jewelry If there are any '(notable Chinese aboard tbty fr« qutntly take th-m out of the ship into concealment, and hold them for great ransoms, and often starve them, or torture them, to hurry up such payments. When these pirates .are caught they are quickly beheaded, or more severely punished. I very foolishly thought that such guarding and precautions as I Saw were uncalled tor in this 1922, but I was assured that piracies occurred quite ire quently, and it was very hard to catch the perpetrators if thty escap d ashore I now note that within the pist tew months (indeed, since my return to Samoa in No- . .vctnber) reports have reached us that a steamer returning . from Macao with pleasure seekers was captured, the Sikh soldiers killed, the captain and others wounded, And while this was going on in. robbers steamed tor the Chinese coast, from whence a shore boat came off aod landed them. It is said that they were commanded by a rather baudsome young Chinese woman, and it is admitted that she cleaned up a good deal of money from the passengers, but found little in the ship's safe, which was blown- open in most app.oved style These kind of practices are still prevalent in China, and have occurred on . the Canton route, which employs , very large and well manned boats, guarded by Sikhs and furnished ' with machine guns, rifles, etc. . I found it easy this last time to ' get accommodation at the Hong , Kong boiel, arid t&at the rate bad - b;eo reduced to s\3 per day, j front.

sl4- Tbif i< s the most ektensive hotel in* toe east, and easily the b*st At the usual weekly ball KiWf»io the large concert room. the dresses worn will-no doubt compare fayo raWy with any costumes any- \ where shewn One often sees in the street* of Hong Kong very hand- . some Chinese ladies andr ; rirb, dressed in the fiuest brocades of various pi asing colours and with their hair curiously done up These women are often quite white end they i boldly apply coinWtc co-. lourings in their facial make up. Their handsome coats and their silk trousers neat ly always differ in colour, but their dyes ere yery pleasing to the eye. They are freq icctly seen in and about the wry large .department stores, where they are excellent customer*. 01 these stores, the • Win* Oo ,T the^Sun" and the "Sincere" (ortbe"Sinsee." as it is usually called/ are the largest, and will compare favourably with large department stores io any country Mai y of "the Chinese ! ladits are sadly crippled because •their ieei have been bound, and : they stump miucingly along, tor • this practice d war is ttie muscles of' Jtheir lower legs Oe s Mom sees any of the younger women in this shape, for they generally appear -quite proud to shew their fiae American and Parisian shoes Binding up of feet is going ont of fashion, aud is 1-galy prohibited. Utile feet are not regarded as beautiful, . but rather as a mark that the parents deemed themselves so well provided, that they needed no help from their daughter's work ; there fore they made it impossible from her to give aoy.

!■,. Some ol the fiuest embroideries that China exports are made by crippled women; cast oft wives, who were unable to deliver sons to their- eager husbands.

IMHongKonß tor Shanghai on the "Suwa Marii," a fi ie Japanese steamer ot .11,000 tons which had just come io from London. On board were a number of Japanese travellers wbo had been touring Europe, and still bad a Jot of money to sp?nd. I was room mate' with an Austrian Professor of Agriculture going to Japan to fill a long contract with its Government. There was no donbt but that be was a very capable scientist, and I feel '• sure he will give good service. Before we reached Shanghai, our captain notified all ot the passengers that cholera was said to be prevalent on shore, and that our ship's surgeon would inoculate any ot the passengers gratis. The injection was made in t e back, took about five seconds, and was paiultss. Many of the passengers availed themselves of this, I amongst the others. There were no perceptible after t fleets.

I went aboard tbe "Suwa Maru" with a Chinese friend, and be rather sadly remarked that bis own countrymen bad not tbe genius tor managing such enterprises as setting up a great steamship Hoc ftomXJbina to Europe, as tbe Japs did from their country to various distant locations Some ot tbe Jap boats crossing the Pacific exceed 22,000 tons burthen and are wonder* fully t-quipped and capably managed. In fact passengers would hardly realize thty wre not oil a first class British liner. The Chinese in many respects have' a loug way to go btfore they will catch up with the Japanese Throughout tbe East all steamers and trains leave, exact* ly on time to the very minute, and they atriv* very punctually when the weather allows of it. - We did not sight the Island of Formosacontrolled by Japan, hot I have, been informed that it is highly prosperous and progressive'' under Japanese ' and since its railways have been buiktand operated. During the run frond*Hong,Koog . most af the Japs engaged In < the great "Ma Jong" game, which uses : numbers of places and UWgbiy popular. " v ' ■-'