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January 9, 1895/1
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
81
THE CONDUCT OF THE JAPANESE AT PORT AKTHUR.
Mail of the 20th ult. :-
The following article appeared in the Japan
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correspon
concede a corner, from which nothing resulted, original value redeemable at the reduced rate the necessity of doing something to meet the Each citadel was then visited in turn, but no. after ten years. The other question wasabout the influx of natives, and we are glad to learn that a thing resulted until about two minutes before probability of the Chinese government remain movement is on foot towards this end. Negoci balf time, when the Club opened the score.ing solvent, and this, really the most serious sub- ations have been opened with the Chinese autho Restarting, the military put forth all their ject for consideration, seems to have entered rities through the Consular Body pointing ont energy in order to retrieve the lost pont and but little into the calculation. That China had the advantages, nay the necessity, of extending their opponents' defence was severely tried, but practically consented to pay to Japan a war all attempts were fruitless, for although on indemnity for being attacked without provoca-
the municipal boundary to Jesstiold in one di- several occasions good opportunities presented lion was at the time a fact known in London. We have not heard any further details of the rection and to the Point along the river front. themselves, all attempts were baffled either by It was also known that Japan was by no means the excellent goal-keeping or by erratic shoot modest, and being at the moment cook-of-the-know that advantage is being taken of the pre- scheme as yet, but our readers will be glad to ing. The Club's backs gave the Artillery but walk was crowing vigorously. A strange idea sent occasion to move in a right direction, and little time for aiming, but cleared in excellent was prevalent that Japan wanted this indemnity style time after time. When the whistle blowin gold and that she intended to join the num
we wish the project every success. The present the Club left the ground winners by one goal ber of gold currency countries. Doubtless iting its importance and its dense population, limits of Shangbai are absurdly narrow consider- to nill
would be an advantageons thing for the world which is rapidly covering with dwelling houses at large that Japan and the other silver-using every yard of land inside the boundary-China countries should join in with Europe in simplify Gazette. ing commerce by reducing its money of account to a single standard. But there seems no reason to think that Japan desires to do so. As a fact, Japan has alone of silver-using countries been adroit or far-feeing enough to take her advantage out of a falling silver market. India and China both neglected the opportunity offered, while Japan, has built up a huge manufacturing in- dustry on it. She would doubtless be equally prepared later on to take advantage of the con- trary flux of the tide, but at the moment there is nothing to show that she would gain by a change in currency. To fores China to pay her iu gold, which she would afterwards have in turn to place on the market, would hardly be a good financial operation for any one except the banks. On the whole, then, the prospects are that China will have to go into the market to raise another silver loan of at least one hundred million taels. This she can hardly expect to get under the best conditions under 6 per cent. It may be said the Foreign Customs revenus of some Tls. 20 000,000 or upwards is sufficient to meet this charge. It is already saddled, however, with some of the older debts. with interest n the November issue of, say, TIs. 11,000,000, with expense of collec- tion, and with charges to the various provincial administrations. Were these datter withdrawn the deficit must be made up somehow; and how is this to be done? The native met od of raising likin and other dues is useless. It is already carried beyond its productive point. The native officials will resist any attempt at reform from within, and indeed none are capable of undertaking it. 1 here remaius but one way of escape and that is a Foreign commission. The Japanese go- vernment will, it is no secret, try to stipulate for a Japanese commission, but will the Euro- pean Powers permit this to be done? This is the question. England under its present govern ment is hopeless. Lord Rosebery and the Chau-
microscope at their infinit simal majorities in the constituencies. The other Powers, with the probable exception of Germany, are hardly pre Pred to push the question. It is time that the
·City" should learn its lesson better than at its last appearance in public.—Mercury.
SCOTLAND V. THE WORLD. A goodly assemblage on Monday afternoon wit- nessed the struggle between Scotland and The World for the supremacy of the football field As soon as the game opened the Scots rushed to the attack and made vigorous attempts to pilot the ball into the desired haven. Ezekiel and Kew were, however, on the alert and prevented danger. A run up the field gave The World an opening, but the ball was sent wide of the mark Returning, Scotland again assumed the aggres sive, but for some time, although quite close to their opponents' goal-mouth, they shot several times very near, but not with the precision ne- cessary for scoring. After twenty minutes' play the ball was passed out to Campbell, who dribbled it up to Machell and after a little dodging the ball was landed under the net. After changing sides The World visited their opponents' stronghold and their goal-keeper had to save, but in doing so more than two steps while carrying the ball w re taken, so that a free kick was awarded in front of Scotland's goal. The kick resulted in the ball rebounding from Anton and proceeding into a less dangerous position. Macbell now had plenty to do, but he did it well, and Thomson playing a safe and brilliant game did much to ward off attack. A free kick falling to Scotland the ball was centred to Gow, who sent it through by a well-aimed shot. Auton who was playing a sterling game as half-back did much to frustrate visits to his half, and behind him Henderson was conspicuous for bis trusty long kicking. At the end the Scottish forwards passed well forward and several corners had to be conceded, Campbell on the left often proving himself a source of anxiety. Hands against The World gave a free kick, from which the ball went under the net without being touched, so that nothing resulted. Time was u w called, Scotland having thus obtained a well-deserved victory by two goals to nil.
THE CHINESE LOAN AND CHINA'S celler of the Exchequer are looking through a
i
SOLVENCY
The Chinese loan of last month of Tls 10.900.000 evidently was a subject of consider. able speculation in the "City," for most of the loading papers bad remarks more or less per- tinent to make with regard to it. A good deal of the confusion was doubtless caused by the co... ditions on which it was offered. The bonds, for instance, were said to be for £73 10s. Kuping Tla. 500 each, the exchange was put down at 3s. Tla. 500 at 38. is the equivalent of £75, and not the other. The price of issue was to be 93 per 100, and interest to be at the rate of 7 per cent., not on the nominal but on the actual rate of issue. As was natural under these somewhat in- comprehensible terms, so far at least as the Brit ish public was concerned, there was raised a good deal of iscussion which was certainly not ad. vantageous to the borrowers. There did not at the time seem to be any great prejudice against a silver loan, and it would apparently have been simpler to issue the bonds as such. The introduction of sterling into a silver bond, the interest of which is to be paid not in gold but in silver, was from the investor's point of view pal- pably a mistake. The transaction was awkward, and this awkwardness bid fair to ruin the whole, which after all was merely accepted as a specu. lation, not far, in the minds of the subscribers, removed from a gamble. Had the matter been merely a specula ion in silver the loan could have been with good management issued at a lower figure It was pointed out by some of the papers that even if silver full to one half its value there would still be three-and-a-half per cout. This, however, is a distinct misstate ment. It would be still seven per cent, but meren per cent. on a capital of only half the
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·PROPOSED EXTENSION OF
SHANGHAI.
A movement is on foot in Shanghai of which it is of the utmost importance our readers should have the eardiest information. But of course it is being kept exceedingly quiet, and only the favoured few. who usually get the first of the good things of this world are privileged to share in the costive secretivoness which marks the doings of some of our cousulates, The fact that the war scare has had the effect of bringing a large influx of Chinese from all parts of the Empire into Shanghai does not need advertising It is estimated that sino July last we must have received additions in this respect which cannot fall far short of twenty-five thousand. Every vacant house in the Settlements has been eagerly snapped up
and mandarins an righ natives from. distant places have been only too glad to take leases of large foreign hengs at three or four times their ordinary rental. The influx of strangers has in short created a regular boom in house property and the newcomers have some. how or other been wedged into the already ter- ribly overcrowded foreign settlements. As the war goes on this result is certain to greatly in crease and in view of such a state of affairs, the desirability of extending the municipal limits all the thinese want to live inside is obvious. In the early days of the trouble we pointed ou
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Doubtless the attitude of all fairly-minded been one of suspended judgment. We have not persons with regard to the Port Arthur affair has
really occurred at the capture of the fortress. as yet had any authoritative statement of what Newspapers have given their own versions of what war correspondents are supposed to have said, and it has been binted that the dent of the New York World is about to publish revelations calculated to startle humanity. Al together the impression conveyed is that the be haviour of the Japanese soldiers was most cruel and bloodthirsty; that they slow combatants and non.combatants without discrimination, and that they continued this fierce slaughter through. out three days following the capture. Among the four newspaper correspondents present at Port Arthur, three wore wholly novel to the work they wer required to record. They had never before dents must have been shocking to them. Of course seen anything of war, and even its ordinary inol-
we do not desire to suggest that their evidence is without value, but the public will certainly be in- clined to pay far more attention to the testi mony of the military attaches who accompanied the army, since they necessarily enjoyed the best opportunities of observing the operations,
The
and were moreover competent to estimate them by expert standards One of these attachés has now returned to Tokyo, and we learn from him that the statements hitherto published by the local foreign press must be received with the greatest reservation, and very largely discounted before the residuam of truth is reached. In the first place, this observer states that the civilians, or at any rate the non-combatants, had all left the town of Port Arthur before the assault of the forts, and that a number of the soldiers had either discarded their uniforms altogether. or thrown civilian garments over them. Those men, thus disguised, continues our informant, fought even more resolutely than their com rades, and subsequently escaping into the town maintained their resistance there. result was a good deal of house-to-house fight- ing, in which the Japanese used their swords freely, and when a Japanese sets out to use a sword in earnest, the results are often very terrible. That there was unnecessary cutting down seems pretty certain, and is very conceivable that the cuts and slashes often assumed a character suggestive of mutilation. But our informant did not see anything from which wilful mutilation could fairly be inferred. and he does not believe that genuinely peaceable citizens were killed, or that if a few were killed the thing was intentional. The sum of his opinion is that the Japanese, employing their swords and rifles under circumstances where discrimination was difficult and in the sequel of many Chinese barbarities sufficient to have infuriated the so- berest troops in the world, were doubtless guilty of excesses, but not by any means of such exces jes as have been laid to their charge. Of the death of women or children hengither saw nor heard
it
anything, and his conviction is that there were no women or children in Port Arthur at the time. Finally, he is emphatic in his denial of the allega- tion that undisciplined slaughter was continued through several days. The whole affair, so far as the town of Port Arthur was concerned, began and ended during the night of the 21st November. From the following morning nothing of the kind was to be seen. We think it right to lay these facts before our readers. They