Desember 11, 1895.]
CHINA OVÈRLANI TRADE REPORT.
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439
(7th December.) The discussion of the military contri-
legislation was adopted to put an end to such to prove more effective than any protest unfair and unpatriotic discrimination. We conveyed by correspondence between the have on previous occasions drawn attention unofficial members and the Governor.bution question by the Legislative Council to this important subject, and the opinions And it is stiff fight that the un- has been adjourned for a week. In the then expressed are confirmed and justified by officials will have to prage themselves for meantime a despatch by the Governor to figures which a correspondent of the Man This military contribution question has the Scoretary of State, dated 28th August chester Guardian has recently given. The been dragging on for years, and now, last, has been published. There is no ex- Blackburn Chamber of Commerce, when re- after it has just been, as the home officials ception to be taken to the terms of the cently urging the despatch of a commerical imagined. finally speed of by the despatch, but if it is the first in which the mission to China, pointed out that since labours of an indr-departmental com nufairness of levying a percentage on the 1885 British exports to China had declined,mittee, it will be difficult thing to total revenue of the colony was pointed out from £8,302,493 to £6,255,318. On the get it reopened as between the Colonial His Excellency has been rather behind the other hand American piece goods exported Office, the War Office, and the Treasury, fair, because the decision at that time had to China have increased from 429,000 pieces The colony, however, has a strong case, been already arrived at. Perhaps the rules in 1880 to 720,000 in 1894, and the exports which must command attention in the of red tape may be pleaded in extenuation. from Dutch ports, which were 28,540 pieces long run if it be presented forcibly
Until the Governor received the despatch from in 1891, amounted to 101,185 pieces in 1894. and incessantly. That Mr. CHAMBERLAIN the Secretary of State informing him of the The correspondent of our Manchester con- should not respond to the colony's request decision he may have had no official know- temporary above referred to compares 141b. at the first time of asking is perhaps not ledge that the subject was under considera- sheetings of American make with those of surprising, for he will naturally have had tion. If that is the case the Secretary of Lancashire and says:- "I find that the the assurance of his permanent officials that State is to be blamed for not having asked the average freight from Manchester to Shang- the whole matter has been decided after a local Government for its views; but one hai, via Liverpool and London, is per piece fair trial before a competent court, if we may neglect cannot be held to excuse another, 723d., while the average per piece from so term the inter-departmental committee. and His Excellency would have been fully New York by these two routes is only And before blaming the Colonial Office it justified, it was indeed his duty, to have laid 382d., giving an advantage of 3-41d. in would be well to know whether the local those views before the Secretary of State "favour of America, or, as in the case of Government called attention at a sufficiently without waiting to be asked for them, for it 'drills, very nearly 34d. per piece. Com early stage to the point in question or was, matter of comfuon knowledge that the petition under these circumstances becomes allowed it to slide until after the verdict was adoption of the percentage principle was pos very difficult, if not impossible, on our given. When it was known that the inter-sible and its bearing on the case of this part against American manufacturers, departmental committee was about to sit and | colony had been discussed in the public The price of Lancashire sheetings and that the percentage principle was to be taken press. His Excellency perhaps could not "drills of similar quality to the Americauinto consideration no ting-hould have been | be expected to foresee that the decision
goods cost, say, 108. per piece, and the 34d. difference in freight on the cost, or, say 3 per cent., would be a rate of profit which would be welcomed by Manchester shippers. I desire to call the attention of shippers to one point. Goods are taken from New York, via Liverpool, to Shang- hai for 293. 9d. a ton. If we allow 10s. of
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this to the New York steamer and for cost of transhipment in Liverpool, it will leave "189. 9d. for which the Liverpool steamer carries these bales to Shanghai, while the same steamer charges the Manchester ship- per for identical goods no less than 47s. Gd. They either, therefore, carry the American goods for less than will pay the steamer, or they charge the Manchester shippers a rate beyond all reason." In the face of figures like these the silver question, | important as it is, sinks into comparativé i insignificance. The combination of British shipowners like a vampire is sucking the life blood of British trade, and of all the rings" recorded in commercial history one Tas *eyor worked so prejudicially to trade as the
Steamship Conference.
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THE MILITARY CONTRIBUTION
QUESTION.
(5th December.) On the motion for the second reading of the Appropriation Bill in the Legislative Council this afternoon the unofficial mem- bers will have an opportunity of expressing themselves upon the military contribution question and the recently published des patch of the Secretary of State. In his opening speech the Governor said that as the matter was still sub judice he would ask the Council to vote the sum provided in, the Estimates subject to such further re- presentations as the unofficial members might hereafter have to make and to such modifications as might hereafter be approved, Since His Excellency uttered those words the decision of the Secretary of State, which is adverse to the claims of the colony, has been received, and it is incumbent on the
unofficial members to do their utmost to secure the reversal of a decision so flagrantly unjust. Open discussion in Council is likely
se th
lost in instructing the Colonial Office, as the representative of the probmy's interests, on the various points of our case. Possibly the Government may have been as prompi and as explicit as was psible under the circumstances; we know nothing to the contrary; but the public would no doubt like to have an opportunity of forming their own opinion by a perusal of the full cor- respondence. Even if thy colony has been negligent of its owIE interests it ought to be still possible to secure justice. The Colonial Office despatch is a mere shuffle; courtesy required that something should be said and the official who drafted the despatch has tried to make it appear that the re- presentations made by, the Governor in his despatch of the 28th August have received attention, but what it really amounts to is that the Colonial Office domin not want to be bothered any suore about the matter. The ease, however, quite plain.” The miderstanding was that the Straits ami Hongkong should be traded basis, and there is no goral reason why they should be re-ated diferently, Bah gotouice were required to pay, instead of fixed sums in sterling, a pervitage of their e venties, namely, seventeen and a telf per vent, i but practically there is a great dill reace in the weight of the burden imposed on the two colonies, because whereas in the Straits there are large nmnicipal revenues that are exempt from the contribution Hongkong is to pay on its full revenue, municipal and general. The Colonial Office now endeavours to soothe our feelings by referring to differ- ences in the circumstances of the two colonies as regards area and revenue, which have no bearing on the question and are evidently put forward as mere after thought. It is to be presumed that the point as to Hongkong's municipal revenue being merged in the, general revenue was never brought before the inter-lepartmental committee, for, had it been, that body could not have given a
so grossly
decision
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would be arrived at without any reference whatever to himself but the circumstances would nevertheless have justified some departure from official routine. But it is little use now inquiring who is to blame for the mistakes of the past: what has to be done is to try to remedy them. The officials, though no doubt they will sympathise with the opposition to the unjust exaction, will be bound by official rules to vote for it, so that the battle will have to be carried on by the unofficials, who will no doubt consider it their duty to oppose the vote tooth and nail at all stages.
MR. WHITEHEAD AND THE GOVERNMENT.
The Hon T. H. WHITEHEAD seems to Iave toneled the Goverííñiout on the raw, His questions are found to be bewildering and vexations, and we are not surprised at it. The *** of Tive Bariueles has always kicked at the interregatories of the men “who want to know don't you know,” and it is a standing mystery to them why they should he troubled with such disagreable matters. Here is one of Mr. WarreñEAD'S bewilder- ing und vexatious questions. It is a general rule that when Government property is sold it should be put up to auction, but in the
case of the five houses erected as a home for
girls, but found unsuitable for the purpose, property estimated by the Director of Public Works to be worth $21,000 has been sold by private contract for $8,600. Mr. WHITEHEAD, in his bewildering and vexa- tious way, wants particulars of the tran- cannot see saction, but the Government what useful public purpose would be served by laying the correspondence on the table. We should have thought it might have been useful for the Government to have set itself
right with the public in a matter of that kind and have avoided possible suspicions that might be engendered by any appear- unjust to this colony. Should that proveance of trying to keep the details dark. The to be the case it is to be regretted, certainly, intelligent observer, however, may perhaps and the colony may have, itself to blame in be able to supply the explanation from his some measure, but the unofficial members own imagination, namely, an are in duty bound to ity to get matters estimate on the part of the Director of Public Works as to the value of the property. righted.
erroneous