Page:Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China.djvu/738

730 the whole extent of the tax at present only amounts to 3 per cent, on Customs duties, that is to say. 1^ per mitre, mi fitloreni.

The Conseil d'Administration Municipale de la Concession Fran^aise presided over by the French Consul, Mr. Paul Claudel, consists of nine members, with a permanent secretary. The German Municipal Council was formed in 1906, and administers an area of 1,176 mow, acquired in 1898. The amount to be collected and disbursed during 1908 was estimated at TIs. 25,000. The chairman is Mr. J. Faust, and there are four other councillors. The secretary is Mr. O. Tenner. The Russian Municipal Council controls an area of 5,971 mow— the largest foreign concession in Tientsin. The chairman for 1908 is Count Je/.ierski, who succeeded Mr. M. D. Batouieff, and the secretary is Mr. F. Kleye. The members are elected annually, and their proceedings are con- ducted in English, which has been adopted as the official language. The offices of the Council, designed by Messrs. Loup & Lee, were opened in October, 1907, and form a handsome addition to the architectural fea- tures of the Settlement. Of the other concessions the Austro- Hungarian and Japanese are making the most rapid strides. In the former, which has an area of 1,000 mow, it is expected that a Municipal Council will shortly be established.

THE TIENTSIN CLUB.

The foundation of the new Club-house was laid in 1903, and the building was ready for occupation in September, 1905. The site. containing about nine and a half mow of land, is one of the best in the British Settlement. The building and land cost about TIs. 245,000, and the money was raised by the sale of the site occupied by the old club, and by the issue of debentures for TIs. 200,000 bearing interest at 7 per cent. The building was designed by Messrs. Algar & Beesley, of Shanghai, but the work was taken over from them and carried to completion by their representative in Tientsin, Mr. K. Howard Ford. The liuildinfj consists of a larfje entrance hall, bar, billiard, reading, card, and board rooms and library. The billiard room contains five tables and the board room can be used for concerts and dances. A bowling alley is attached. The premises have been furnished elaborately at a cost of TIs. 25,000, and are lighted by electricity throughout, and hot and cold water and steam-heating plants are installed. The membership on April i, 1908, was : - Resident members, 229 ; non- resident members, 20; absent members, 179. The entrance fee for resident members is $60, and the subscription $8 a month.

THE CLUB CONCORDIA.

Thk Club Concordia at Tientsin is an inter- national club in all respects, except that the members of the committee must speak German. It was established with about forty members in 1895, and now has a member- ship of about 160. The first president was Mr. G. Baur. The original premises in Victoria Road, opposite the Gordon Hall, were vacated in July, 1907, when the new Club-house, occupying an advantageous site on the German Concession, was opened by Mr. O. Kleemaii, the president. There are spacious dining, billiard, and card rooms, a bar, library, and bowling alley, as well as a theatre capable of holding 300 persons. Adjacent to the building there are five tennis courts. The Club is lighted throughout with electricity, and every precaution is taken against fire by the provision of modern extinguishing appliances. The hon. treas- urers of the Club are Messrs. T. M. Karl and O. E. Meyer ; the secretary is Mr. Siebert ; the librarian, Mr. E. Klocke ; and the manager, Mr. M. Horn ; while Mr. Kriediichs has charge of all matters con- nected with sport.

THE TIENTSIN CLUB.

THE FRENCH CLUB.

The Cercle d'Escrime de Tientsin, estab- lished in 1903, now occupy premises on the Quai de France, but a new and handsome building in the Rue de France will probably INTERIOR OF THE POWER STATION AT TIENTSIN, THE SIEMENS SCHUCKERTWERKE. ERECTED BY

be erected this year. In addition to the usual features, the Club-house will then contain bachelors' quarters, a mess room, and a large hall for fencing, boxing, and gym- nastics, as well as billiard and reading