Page
May 29, 1895.]
THE TAIPINGSHAN RESUMPTION
QUESTION.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
have to discharge and load almost en-¡and that in the treaty of commerce with tirely at Woosung. Mr. HEWETT's re- Japan the troublesome question of lekin marks were
endorsed by the meeting, will be finally disposed of. With the removal and doubtless the Committee of the Cham- of the Wuosung Bar, freedom for manufac ber will do their utmost to press the turing industry, and the abolition of lekin matter to a satisfactory termination. The a bright future ought to be in store for the Chairman in his opening speech mentioned Model Settlement. a rumour to the effect that the Woosung Bar was one of the matters dealt with in the treaty of peace between China and Japan and said it was to be hoped that this was the case, and that pressure would now be brought to bear on the Chinese au- thorities to remove an obstruction which has for so long been a standing menace to the trade of the port. The treaty of peace, however, contains ro mention of the sub. ject, but it may possibly be dealt with in the commercial treaty, which has still to be negotiated. It would be an excellent thing for the trade of Shanghai if this were so, for then discussion would be succeeded by
action.
nese Government follow a liberal and en-
lightened policy Shanghai will before long be the seat of a great cotton industry.
the money.
of
few
The
and what portion should not. hou.. gentleman urged that all that was necessary might be done without having recourse to such wholesale destruction aS had been proposed. "If," he said, "the "Commission decide that the original plan "of destruction must be carried out, I and
many who think with me will have the "satisfaction of knowing that the question "has had every possible consideration in all "its aspects; but, on the other band, if the
decision of the Commission coincides with "our idea, a large sum of money will have "been saved to our at present hard pressed
*
At the meeting of the Legislative Council on Thursday the Taipingshan question was once more brought on the tapis by a vote for the remuneration of the arbitrators. The
colony." The Hon. A. MCCONACHIE gentlemen appointed to conduct the arbitra-
seconded the resolution and said he tion discharged their duties with conspicuous bad himself originally been of opinion the success and, like every one else concerned, whole area should be destroyed, but have made a very unce thing out of it, for
on examining the property very care $4,000 remuneration to ach of them for fully the impression was forced upon him the amount of work performed cannot that "there was a great deal of excellent be considered illiberal. Good work, however,
property, excellent streets of concrete, well deserves good pay, aud we are not disposed
"laid down channels, and excellent granite On the contrary, The next question touched upon in the to quarrel with the vote
steps, and much other valuable property. Chairman's speech was that of the importa.we would suggest that a little more money which it was not entirely necessary to tion of machinery, but this has now been should be spent, by the appointment of a
destroy," The resolution was defeated happily disposed of by the treaty with another committee of experts, in order by six votes to five, the unofficial members Japan and no further dispute can arise on to determine what is to be done with (with the exception of the Hon Ho KAI) the point. A decision has already been the resumed area. If by spending four or and the Harbour Master voting for it, given in favour of Messrs. JARDINE, five thousand dollars in this direction the and the official members (with the exception MATHESON & Co, as to their right to import colony could be saved a waste of a of the Harbour Master) and the Hon. Ho machinery for cotton spinning and a mill lakhs worth of property the investment Kar against. The principal reason for under British management is to be erected would be a sound one. It will be remem-negativing the resolution seems to have immediately. This is the commencement of bered that when the resumption of Taiping been that the Governor and those gentlemen a movement that bids fair to attain large shan was proposed the owners the who had committed themselves to the proportions.
When British manufactures property were hugely delighted, for they view that total destruction was necessary have been shut out of Continental countries knew that if they had the Government for a
would be placed in an “awkward position by hostile tariffs British manufacturers purchaser they would get full value for their if total destruction was not carried out. have set up mills in those countries them holdings, and they have in fact fared very With the lapse, of time, however, this awk selves, and now that manufacturing industry much better than the owners of plague wardness may perhaps be less felt and pos- can safely be carried on in China no doubt property outside the resumed area. It was sibly when the resolution, or a similar one, s manufacturers will hasten to establish faca matter of indifference to them how their brought forward again, as we hear it is likely tories there in order to secure the benefit property was dealt with after resumption, to be, the Government may be more favour- of the bounty afforded by dear gold to the whether it was burnt or otherwise; their ably disposed towards it, especially as the productions of silver countries. If the Chi- only interest was to get rid of it and pocket principle that some property may safely be The proposal to burn it, how spared has been conceded by the Director of ever, met with some opposition from dis- Public Works, so that the question now re- interested parties, people who owned no solves itself merely into one of amount. There is one danger, however, which will property in the district, but who objected
The Hon. F. A. COOPER, in his report of the have to be faced, of which an indication is to the public funds, to which they as
22nd March last, recommends the total de. given in the report of the Shanghai Cham-ratepayers had to contribute, being wasted molition of the whole of the buildings within ber of Commerce. It was brought to the in smoke. The opposition succeeded in so far the resumed area with the exception of the notice of the Committee that in the case of that that the Resumption Bill was amended buildings on inland lot 361 and twenty-eight locally manufactured yarns a differential to the extent that burning was not made com- houses crected on inland lots 592 and 593. lekin tax was being levied in their favour. pulsory, the manner of ultimately dealing These he would spare. And if these, why not Locally manufactured yarns have, up to the with the property being left open. That burn- others? Mr. COOPER admits there are some present, been Chinese manufactured, and the ing was unnecessary and would have been blocks of houses which perhaps leave little discrimination was against imported goods. inadvisable has been shown by the course
to be desired except an increase in the width A similar discrimination might be attempted of events, for at Canton, where the houses of the lanes at their back, but a retention in favour of the manufactures of a Chinese visited by the plague have been reoccupied of these intact would, he says, prejudicially establishment and against those of a foreign without any reconstruction whatever, the affect to a large extent the improvement establishment standing next door. So long disease has not made its reappearance,
of the district as a whole both from a sani- as lekin exists so long will there be abuses. whereas Macao, which escaped last year, tary and financial point of view. This is the
is now suffering from a Transit passes should theoretically carry
point of difference. It has been suggested most if not quite as severe as with them exemption from likin, but as
that that many of the blocks could be saved and was remarked by Mr. DUDGEON, as a from which this colony suffered. This shows that with comparatively slight alterations matter of fact the system of the issue of that it is not in the soil or in bricks and transit passes, which entails a delay of at mortar that the contagion lurks. Once the least ten days or a fortnight between the contagion is introduced, however, filth and date of application and the issue of the insanitary surroundings supply the most pass, is wholly inapplicable to many branches favourable conditions for its propagation, of the trade. A remedy for this delay and hence, this point being fully recognised, has been promised, but it is. to be all parties are agreed as to the necessity of doubted whether the transit pass system effective sanitation. Where a house can- can ever be successfully applied to deliveries not be rendered sanitary without being of small quantities of cargo, as in the yarn destroyed the public safety must be held to and piece goods trade; the system is too demand its destruction, but where a perfectly slow and cumbersome, and attempts which sanitary condition can be secured by less have been made to get the natives to try it drastic means the destruction of the property have wholly failed. It would appear, said would be sheer waste. Mr. DUDGEON in conclusion, that this much vexed question of lekin must remain as a burden on the trade until radical reforms are introduced in the whole system of in- land taxation; and it may be that the time for these radical reforms is approaching. We hope that this may turn out to be so
visitation al-
At a meeting of the Legislative Council held on the 17th September last the Hon. C., P. CHATER moved that a Commission be appointed to inquire into and report to the Government upon the question of what portion of the on the land resumed buildings situated under the provisions of the Taipingshan Resumption Ordinance should be destroyed
a sufficient width could be obtained for the
lanes. For Mr. COOPER's individual opinion we have the highest respect, but we submit the matter is too large a one to be decided on one man's opinion only, and that a com mittee of local experts could dispose of it more satisfactorily. The resumption of the property has cost the Government $800,000. The number of houses resumed was 417, which, at an average value of $750 per house, gives $312,750 as the total value of the buildings proposed to be destroyed, less what may be realised by the sale of the few houses that Mr. COOPER would allow to remain. It is proposed that 70,000 square feet should be utilised in the making of new streets, which at $2 a foot would give a value of $140,000, and the amount proposed to be spent on the recon struction of streets, etc., is $83,000. The total area resumed was 272,021 square feet, and the area available for rebuilding, according