look
that
über 8f 1898
inter
rade and have to carriage of goods
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORTES
termediaries, reduction, because it would mission earned by the
lent of the N C. Daily tain that if lekin be iven up then the internal non of foreign Custom-houses should be given up too, and China encouraged, under [foreign huspices, that freedom of internal trade has one of the main factors in prosperity of the United rica, notwithstanding their terna protective system." excellent in theory, but at the matter from a practical point of view it must be recognised" is not the remotest probability of foregoing the taxation of her internal trade for a very long period to come, if ever How, then, is the taxation to be levied, by the foreign Custom-houses or by native lekin stations? Undoubtedly the foreign Custom-houses would be the prefer- able agency, if the duties they collected were the game, because they would be honestly administered, but if native goods can ot be moved short distances without payment of seven-and-a-half per cent. ad valorem trade in them will become impossible. On the Yangtze there are now seven Maritime Custom-houses on the Yangtsze River alone, above Shanghai, some, such as Ichang and Shashib, Wuhu and Chinkiang, not one hundred miles apart, while when Nanking and other stations now open under the Yangteze Regulations are formally opened there will be Custom-houses all along the river within fifty miles of each other. The coast-trade regulations and the tariff established by those regulations were clearly never intended for such conditions as now prevail on the Yangtze and as will soon pre- vail on the West River; they were intended for trade between different provinces or ports of the same province separated by long distances, not for trade between adjoining prefectures. A revision is therefore wanted to meet the new conditions, so that foreign Custom-houses may replace the lekin stations without charging higher rates of dúty than those hitherto charged by the latter.
our
prepond
HUNG
did not want al evidence of any
the com reform in China the lowering the duty, or even its total abolition, would found, not amongst
strongest not lead to an increase in the trade the governing the deficit in the revenue would have to be Chinese literafi. made up by other taxes on trade; and 'sented the only result would be to benefit the Chi-
struggling nese merchants of Hongkong and Mengtzu, under the He therefore declared him intention of the mot is that the
e yoke of a voting against the proposed reduction, while almost absorbed by the demanding that the attention of the Governare Chinese statesmen, ment should be devoted to the amelioration exercise tho of the means of communication with Laokay, direction of their. "When," he said, "in consequence of this LI HUNG-CHANG and "amelioration the transit trade shall have recognised leaders of the p attained such proportions that this liberal factions in the Empire_at measure may be adopted without incon- moment, are both Chinese, and “venience to local trade I will vote for it that one hears of a Manchn
with pleasure."
political prominence. In the We find it difficult to follow the arguments ministration of the country of the Haiphong Chamber, for there can be of native race far outnumber no doubt that heavy transit dues must chu race and they are not infer operate in restraint of trade, and one of the in squeezing and oppressin chief reasons alleged for the French occupa: The literati, who as a body tion of Tonkin was to secure control over tooth and nail, are the recog what was contended to be the best route to the people in every province South-west China and to stimulate the transit and it is the ambition of eve trade. Whatever course may ultimately Empire to see one of its so be adopted with reference to the proposed taking a place amongst these reduction of the duty, it would seem that blind conservatism. That an the Government has seen reason to disap- courageous band of reformers prove of the manner in which the in wakening the nationa Customs Service has been administered, intelligence to an aspiration after a and M. Coqui, the Director-General, and more wholesome national life has been superseded. While most of the beyond the bounds of possibilit local papers that officer and describe his removal as a would not be likely to accomplish that
express sympathy with upon the dynasty merely as blow to trade, the Indo-Chine Francaise re To overthrow the TA-TSING“ dynasty calls the fact that when in July last the again place the MINGs on the Throne members of the Hanoi Chamber of Comprobably signify no merce resigned in a body they alleged as one of their reasons that their representations were very rarely attended to and generally failed to elicit even a reply, more especially as regards the many tracasseries of the Customs Service, as useless as they are "annoying to trade, which they discourage." The resignations having been accepted by the Government a new election was held, when the old members were all re-elected, the electors thus proving their confidence in the Chamber. Our contemporary contended at the time that the supersession of M. Coqui had become necessary, and now that it has been carried into effect it supports the The question of the transit trade regula- Government in the action taken. tions in Tonkin has recently been much of course not in a position to express any agitated in that colony, and not long ago the opinion as to the justice of the treatment Hanoi Chamber of Commerce made strong meted out to M. Coqui, who has been per- representations to the Government, recom-sonally very popular at Haiphong and has mending more liberal regulations and a lowering of the duty. This duty was fixed by a decree of the 29th November, 1892, at 20 per cent of the import duty on foreign goods. The Government has now requested an expression of opinion on the subject from Haiphong Chamber of Commerce, which body it would seem holds different views from those of the sister Chamber at Hanoi. Fro
THE TONKIN TRANSIT TRADE.
more than name to the mass of the people, the dream of a republic under a tector of the Commonwealth, it in a a dream and nothing more nothing of the plans of the their strength or organisation, that they design to effect a force of arms. At best, and own Government to reckon w appear rather a hopeless task; but contingency of foreign intervention mus also be recognised. China has no foreign debt, and as any
18
dist the
established order would the stability of the revenue
debt We are that
would not remain indifferent secured her
Moreover, some of the not be unwilling to step in priate large slices of Chinese circumstances favoured such an oper On a previous occasion Russia the plea of maintaining order, and she wo not be averse to repeating the operation larger scale, nor follow her example in the South, while Great
would France object to 1 Britain and the other Powers would have take such steps as the otection f their
been accorded a farewell banquet, but if the change made in the administration of the Customs is to be taken as ushering in a more liberal regime it must be hailed with satis faction, Hitherto, and more especially of late, the transit trade between Hongkong and Yunnan via Tonkin has been seriously obstructed by the vexatious regulations to which it has been subjected.
THE REFORM MOVEMENT IN
CHINA
commercial interests migh necessary would be a tha bolster up such a Government China now possesses, but the standard of revolt might than plunging the country and it is therefore not in that the friends of reform.
the published minutes of the meeting of the Haiphong Chamber at which the question was considered we learn that upon the reading of the Governmental despatch the Chairman made a speech in opposition In our issue of Saturday appeared a letter to the proposal and that the Chamber, signed "A Reformer," in which the writer forsing, his views, passed a resolution states that the reform movement in China is favouring the maintenance of the status quo, extensive and has adherents and sympa with the proviso that the question might be thisers throughout the world; that the reconsidered when the means of communica- reformers desire to see the emancipation of tion with Laokay have been improved. The the Great Chinese race from the bigoted and reasons Iva by M
BES, the selfish Manchu yoke, that the people the first want progress and reform and will strive to ubts on the character accomplish it at any cost. This may be Lions which he true of the leaders of the reform movement ¦ The Chinese-in- | individually, but there is unfortunately no es
The Sho
Sönt Corm