November 19, 1896.]
said to have abandoned the idea of es tablishing cotton spinning factories in Chi- nese ports on the ground that the duties proposed to be levied will place the product of such mills at a disadvantage as compared with the imported Japanese manufactures, and it is better therefore to invest Japanese capital in factories on Japanese soil, which will be able to compete with the factories in China The Treaty as might have been expected, contains nothing very striking, but it will serve the Japanese turn very admirably. It places Japan on a footing of equality with Western Powers and as distinctly marks the inferiority of China. It is true that a turn in the tide might bring about a reversal of this condition of affairs at the end of the ten years for which it is concluded, but the chances are very much against China securing her revenge, even if the shook off her apathy sufficiently to attempt it. The Japanese have achieved a great advance, politically and materially, and they do not, we imagine, intend to rehearse the fable of the hare and the tor- toise for the benefit of China.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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the Senior Commissioners, to which reference | January last, and since it was written is made, does not afford a very strong ground a contract for the extension of the Lang of argument, because the Service is barely son thirty-five years old yet and in the carly concluded.
railway to Lungchow has been days promotion was necessarily rapid, men
M. Boucifer, the French Minister of Commerce and Industry has attaining the rank of Commissioner either after a very short service in the lower ranks, various Chambers of Commerce, enclos now addressed a circular despatch to the or, in the case of the first holders of the ing copy of Mr. CLARKE's report and office, being appointed to it direct. That the drawing attention to the provisions of the rapidity of proniotion which characterised Fraucu-Chinese Conventions of the 20th the Service in its earlier days should be main- June last. He goes on to state that since tained permanently was in the nature of the conclusion of these Conventions the things impossible. Nevertheless the present Compagnie de Fives-Lille has obtained members of the Service in the junior ranks from the Chinese Government a concession have cause of complaint, but it arises, we for the construction of a railway which, believe, from the irregularity of promotion being joined to the Langson extension, rather than from its slowness. Compara- will place Lungchow tively young men have been placed. "over
in direct the heads of men who have been much fore, with the port of Haiphong; that munication with Phulangthuong there longer in the Service, and there is this line must under the terms of the no rule or system by which any one contract be completed within three years can calculate his chances of promotion. and appears likely to be completed much The will of the Inspector-General is earlier; and that in any case private initia- the only rule, and while Sir ROBERT HART tive should now be invoked to assure the has never been accused of exercising his advantages of the relations already estab patronage to give promotion to incompetent lished with Lungchow and which cannot but men it has always been understood that as be developed when the railway reaches there, between two men equally qualified he would My department," continues the Minister choose according to his own predilections of Commerce and In lustry, "and the rather than according to length of service “Colonial Department cannot too strongly our contemporary says, or other considerations of a like kind.
As
"draw the attention of French trade to that the present "the advantages that the Tonkin route "L-G. has virtually controlled the entire "will soon offer over the Pakhoi or Cantón
Inspectorate single-handed for over thirty
" routes. To utilise these advantages, the years may have been of the greatest good French Minister at Peking, like the to China during that period, but there is "Minister for the Colonies, is of opinion no doght that much insecurity arises from that no method would be more effective. "the fact that at this moment he cannot point thm the establishment at Laungchow of "to any one man, or hody of men, trained French firms, which, carrying on their. "and ready to carry on his work. Autocracy, “transit traile by II. iphong and the Tonkin "like many other good things, has its dis- route, would give to the natives the ROBERT HART would take note of the advantages." It would be well if Sir
practical example without which they discontent now prevailing in the Service in this direction themselves."
are not likely to make an experiment and use his efforts to frané rules regulating
It is to appointment, promotion, and retirement, so that when the control passes into other hands the Service may not fall into a state
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SUPERANNUATION IN THE CHI- NESE CUSTOMS SERVICE. Superannuation in the Chinese Customs Service is advocated in a leading article by the N. C. Daily News, which holds that "the time has come when it would appear 'imperative that some steps should be taken "to remove the congestion which prevails in the subordinate ranks." The glut iu promotion, it is alleged, is causing serious discontent amongst the members of the Service and also deters the class of meu who formerly joined from doing so now, thus leading to a lowering of the personnel. "From the last Customs Service List," says our contemporary, we gather that in the case of the thirteen Seuior Commissioners the average period of service is over 31 years, and their average term as Commis sioners is about 23 years, nine having served "in that capacity for over 24 years. Turn-of chaos.
ing next to the Deputy Commissioners we
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THE LUNGCHOW RAILWAY AND
THE WEST RIVER ROUTE.
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hoped the French Government, ment to private cuterprise, will not in while this holing out verbal encourage.. practice strangle it by the adoption of vexatious and oppressive Customs regula tions. The Langehow railway ought un- doubtedly to do a great deal for the open. jug up of South-western China, as ought. also the Red River, but the The French Government is urging French perience gained in connection with the merchants to establish them-elves at Lung-last named route has not been so en- chow. Commissioner of Customs at that trading Government might with advantage ponder Mr. C. C. CLARKE, the Acting couraging as it might have been. The station, in his last annual report, stated that Mr. CLARKE'S remarks as to the fear the so far the opening of the Tonkin railway as Chinese entertain of the. French Customs far as Langsou had not helped Lungchow at regulations, and as far as possible remove all. Nobody," he said, "has tried to see the cause, for if the trade is to reach the full whether there is any advantage over the development of which it is capable Chinese Pakhoi route in bringing cargo by rail to co-operation must be freely admitted instead Langsou, by cart to Nacham, and by of being discouraged. At the "boat to Lungchow. The native merchant,
time same we do not believe that the Lungchow route "not knowing French, ignorant of the would under the most favourable circum- proper Customs procedure in Tonkin, stances draw the trade away from the West "uncertain whether he may not unwittingly River to any great extent, provided the transgress some regulation and subject latter be freely opened to stem navigation "himself to a penalty, doubtful if he and the squeezo stations abolished, for the can get hearing in case he does, West River possesses great and undoubted “and always afraid that new schemes will advantages as a travle route for a large pro- “land him in expense and trouble, is not dacing and censtating region and will” likely to make the trial of getting gools when the present restrictions are removed by Tonkin. He will wait until some always command a large truffic, foreigner shows him the way and assures "him of the cost. An agent who will quote through rates froin Hongkong is wanted. "Whether goods can be got on equal terms via Tonkin and via Pakhoi is just what nobody knows, and it should be worth somebody's while to find out."
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note that they number sixteen, with an average service of 20 years; next come. "two Senior Assistants of 37 years' stand- ing and sixteen First Assistants whose average is 22 years. We need not follow "our enquiry through all the lower grades, 'but when we observe that it requires, "generally speaking, over 21 years for au employe to reach a salary of Tls. 225 a "month, we cease to wonder at whatever "discontent such employes may occasionally express with their condition. The man "who has served 30 years, with the liberal "pay and allowances of a Commissioner for 20 years of that period. should be in a "position after that time to make room for "his juniors-in any other service he would "be compelled to do so-even though his mental and physical capacities for work be in no wise impaired; and it is evident "that unless he does so, there is slight hope "for younger men to attain to the posts in "which lies a possibility of providing for old age." One important consideration is over- looked by our contemporary, namely, that of the age of retirement. In the Hongkong ivil Service the age of compulsory retire- ment is sixty, and if retirement rules were introduced in the Customs Service pre- sumably they would be based on age rather than on the period for which an officer had held a particular appointment. We have no information as to the ages of the mem-CLARKE then refers to the probability of the bers of the Customs Service, but the number railway being extended to Lungchow and over sixty years of age we should imagine the reduction it would effect in the cost of is not very large. The length of service of carriage. This report is dated the 11th
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Just as the German cruiser Prinzess Wilhelm & was leaving Nagasaki harbour on Monday, 2nd November, she collided with the Hyson, was coming in at the time. The Prinz got some of her boats damaged and, some other minor gear carried away, but proceeded upon known up to the time of departure her way after a few hours' delay. As far as was Empress of China, no damage was done to the other vessel-Kobe Chronicle.
of the