*
October 16, 1895.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
1
mandaring themselves seem to think it construction of a line from Burmah, of which perhaps not be unreasonable - that is only heads we want, and on that there appears some prospect; they will be colonies should be let off more lightly basis they are willing to settle, pro- easily first in the field. As a commercial under-richer ones and that the percentage should vided any heads but the right ones will do; taking, however, the prospect of the fine's be on a graduated scale, to be applied but as for doing simple justice and punish-proving a success is not very bright. The according to local circumstances. But it ing those on whom rests the responsibility project is not nearly so important to trade as does not appear that any such scale has of organising the crime and superintending the opening of the West River, and the latter been decided upon or as much as thought of its execution, nothing could be further from acquires additional importance in view of nor can we imagine a scale which would their wish or intention. If there is to be the projected French railway to Nacham. work out to show such a difference any safety for foreigners in China it is im- From the latter point there is water com- as is made to appear between the Straits perative that the officials should be roused to munication with the West River and the and Hongkong on the one hand and on the other. a sense of their duties and responsibilities by design is that the districts_now served by Ceylon and Mauritius the exemplary punishment of the Fukienese that stream in Kwangsi and Eastern Yunnan The condition of the bulk of the popula high officials as well as those of Szechuen. shall hereafter draw their supplies through tion in the two former colonies is not The punishment of the latter has already Tonkin. If the Chinese were to construct a so much better than that of the popula been determined on, but in the eyes of the railway from Pakhoi to Nanning, however, tion of Ceylon and Mauritius that they Chinese the ex-Viceroy Liu PING-CHAN is as has been suggested, it is probable the can fairly be asked
to pay a much degraded, not for outrages upon foreigners or French line would get only a small share larger amount of taxes, nor have their in deference to foreign representations, but of the through traffic. But the British Governments any special sources of wealth The for other matters quite unconnected with trader's interest lies in the opening of the which would justify the difference. foreigners, because he was already in dis- West River. If steam navigation were fact seems to be that the percentages tinder grace. This makes it all the more neces-permitted and the squeeze system abolished the new system like the lump sums under sary that the lesson should be driven home that route would still command the bulk of the old system have been arbitrarily fixed. by the punishment of the Fukienese the traffic.
without any regard to abstract principles officials.
of equity.
1
RAILWAYS IN TONKIN and the OPENING OF THE WEST RIVER.
is
to be
THE MILITARY CONTRIBUTION.
.
+
The inequality with which the various Crown colonies are treated in the matter. M. ROUSSEAU, the Governor-General of of the military contribution is brought into French Indo-China, is about to proceed to even greater prominence under the new to France to present to the Chamber of system of levying the mulct than it was Deputies the project for a loan for Tonkin before. Our friends at Singapore used to pre- of one hundred million francs and to defend sent their grievance in various aspects, as, for the schemes for the various public works to instance, that the contribution being so much which the loan is to be applied and which are and the strength of the garrison so much required for the development of the colony. the cost per man to the colony was greater An interesting resumé of the programme is than anywhere else, that the, lump sum was given by the Avenir du Tonkin. Concessions larger, that the percentage of the contribu- with reference to some of the proposed rail- tion on the revenue was greater, and that ways have already been granted to various the garrison being maintained principally French firms, but it is proposed that these for imperial purposes the proportion of the shall be cancelled and that the work shall cost thrown on the colony was inequitable. be let out by contract and executed under The argument that seemed to carry the the supervision of the Public Works depart-greatest weight in support of the colony's ment. The existing line from Phulang case was that founded on the disproportion thuong to Langson, of 0.60 metre gauge, the contribution bore to the revenue when is to be widened to
a gauge of one compared with the contributions of other metre, which
the gauge colonies. Colonies with larger garrisons might for the other proposed lines. The first pay less, but to that there was an answer, of these, from Hanoi, to Phulangthuong, namely, that the protection afforded by will be about twenty-eight miles in length, the Empire was not to be gauged by the another, from Langson to Nacham, near the strength of the permanent garrison, which, Chinese border, will be nineteen miles, and
on emergency, would be increased to any another, from Hanoi to Namdiubh, fifty-five extent required. But to the argument that miles. The plans for these lines have it was inequitable that one colony should have already been prepared and it is proposed to pay a large percentage of its revenue while that the work. of construction should other colonies paid either nothing at all or only be commenced in February next and be small percentages there seemed no answer -completed by the end of 1898 at the latest. nor have we ever heard of one being Another line from Hué to Tourane is pro- attempted. The percentage system, how vided for but it is not proposed to begin ever, was not then in force, so that the work upon it until 1899. In addition to inequality as between the paying colonies making the railways above enumerated did not strike the popular mind very it is proposed to light and buoy the coast, to forcibly. A certain lump sum had been improve the port of Haiphong, and to make fixed in each case, and it was to be roads in the up-country districts. The pro- assumed that the amount bore some relation gramme seems a very practical and modest to the colony's supposed ability to pay. one and if carried out will no doubt lead to The fact remained, however, that some a great development of trade. A railway colonies had to pay much more heavily than from Hanoi to Laokay has sometimes been others. When it was announced that the spoken of, but it is not mentioned in the contribution was in future to take the form present programme. Steamers are now run-of a fixed percentage on the revenue it was ning on the Red River and the facilities they afford are apparently deemed sufficient for present trade requirements in that direction! A railway to Lookay would, moreover, be a much more costly undertaking than the other lines mentioned and if made would pro- bably swallow up the bulk of the hundred million loan. Judging from present appear ances, therefore, it does not seem likely that Western Yunnan will be tapped by railways from Tonkin for some time to come, and if the British Government at once undertake the
supposed that all the Crown colonies would be treated alike and all ground for the com- plaint of unequal treatment be removed. The supposition turns out to be quite erroneous. No announcement has yet been made of the hitherto exempted colonies having been asked for a military contribution, and while the Straits and Hongkong are to pay 17 per cent. of their revenue Ceylon is let off with 7 per cent. and Mauritius with 5 per cent. How is this difference to be accounted for? It would
THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF
HEALTH.
The question of the appointment of Medical Officer of Health to be attached to the Sanitary Board was again brought up at the meeting of that body on Thursday last. Dr. CLARK arrived some weeks ago, having been appointed at home to the office of Medical Officer of Health, but he has not yet been gazetted and so far as is publicly known has no legal status. The delay in making the official announce ment is presumably to be accounted for by s the pendency of the question whether Dr. CLARK is to be independent of the Sanitary Board or is to an officer of that body. At Thursday's meeting Mr. EDE recorded in a minute his belief that "qurs is the only "Sanitary Board in existence that has no, "medical officer at its direct disposal
A resolution was carried to the and
a medical officer should effect that "be attached to the Board." This was carried by three votes to one, Dr. ATKINSON, the Acting Colonial Surgeon, voting against it, and the Hon. F. A COOPER, Hon. Com- mander HASTINGS, and Mr. EDE in favour of it. Mr. COOPER and Commander HASTINGS are to be complimented on having taken this independent course, which is opposed to the Governmental policy of depriving the Sani- tary Board of all executive power and re- ducing it to a nullity. Experience has no doubt convinced them of the importance of the Board's having its own Medical Officer.
The circumstances that gave rise to the. discussion on Thursday were rather remark- able. A resident at the Peak suspecting that two of his coolies might be suffering from plague communicated with the Sani- tary Board. The Secretary, by direction of the President, requested the Acting Colonial Surgeon to be good enough to send a medical officer to accompany the officer of the Sanitary Board, who would be prepared to remove the cases if necessary. The Act- ing Colonial Surgeon declined to do so, on the ground that a private medical practi- tioner. should be engaged or the cases be sent to the Civil Hospital on the employer's responsibility. It cannot be expected that the Colonial Surgeon or the Civil Hospital staff should be at the beck and call of everyone, but it is most important that whenever there is suspicion of the presence of infectious disean it should be officially taken note of and that the removal of the sufferers, if removal be necessary, should be
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