May 29, 1897,
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT:
were disposed of at small premiums and there will be no reduction in the taxation | leaving for their merely nominal Crown rents and were held by the owners for a rise, the covenant as to building upon the lots being practically waived and the covenant itself being ex- tremely liberal in the amount of expenditure it required. Are we to revert to that state of affairs, under which the public estate was exploited the benefit of a few individuals, ex, if we are not to go the whole length, are we to retrace any portion
increased Crown rents the way? The
certainly un-
"
411
ultimate destination. that crushes the life out of this industry. Their cases having already been duly dealt In some notes on the tea trade of Amoy for with by a British Government or the last year supplied to the British Consul at Government of a state enjoying British that port for incorporation in his annual re- protection there can be no reason for ac- port Mr. FRANK CASS gives some interesting cording them the delay provided by law details of the duties imposed on tea. He for persons deported from this colony. But says that the crop of Amoy Oolongs in 1896 there is a more serious reason calling for amounted to 1,200,000 lbs., a shortage of 55 legislative action in the matter. The Chief per cent, on the previous year, and adds that Justice in his judgment said that the Court an equally marked decline is expected in could inquire into the grounds of the order 1897, after which the article will probably of deportation and decide whether they popular amongst property owners and dealers" cease to appear as an item in our trade were such as could sustain the order. in land, but it does not follow that they are " returns, the ten districts are being In the onso in question his Lordship that the fact of the men on that ground to be condemned, for charges" rapidly thrown out of cultivation, and held of all kinds are unpopular amongst those "most of them are irrevocably ruined." | having been deported from Selangor was who have to pay them. It is not the in- Mr. CAss rightly says the reason is not far a sufficient ground for the order of deporta terests of property owners only that have to to seek. The entire crop realised $136,000, tion from this colony. But, with that be considered, but the interests of the whole while the lekin paid amounted to $20,000 judgment on record, it may be argued in the colony. The total revenue from leased lands and the export duty to $35,000, or a total next case that, if it is competent for the last year was only $217,282, which is a good of $55,000, considerably more than one-third Court to inquire into the grounds of deporta deal less than the amount derived from such of the value of the tea. The Japanese tion from this colony, the person in custody a doubtful source as the opium monopoly, Government, with characteristic foresight, whereas the land revenue ought to be the last year reduced the export duty on principal, as it is the safest, source of revenue. tea in Formosa to $1.12 per picul as com- Seeing that the remaining Crown land is pared with $5.82 per picul imposed under steadily passing into the hands of private the Chinese régime. This example will, of individuals and that the income from pre- course, be quite lust on the Chinese Govern- miums on land sales must in course of time ment, who never seem to learn anything come to an end, we trust that in the per- either by the teachings of experience or by manent interests of the colony the Govern- the successes of others until it is too late to ment will continue to pursue the policy of profit by them. The shadow of this great imposing a substantial Crown rent on all loss has been impending for at least two land sold.
decades, and there is literally no excuse for the crass folly which has permitted this valuable trade to dwindle to à mere nothing. The production of Amoy tea in the season 1376-77 was 27,200,000 lbs., and in 1896-97, twenty years later, this had fallen to 3,600,000 lbs. We entirely agree with Mr. Cass in the opinion he expresses-which he adds is that of the very highest experts- that all the machinery in the world will not now save the China tea trade unless a com- plete amelioration of taxation accompanies its introduction. And, as we have remarked before, it seems as vain to expect the Chi- neşe mandarin to relinquish exactions on trade as for the Ethopian to change his skin.
THE CHINA TEA TRADE.
It is greatly to be feared that the foreign tea trade of China is virtually a thing of the past.
As was predicted in these columns, year after year, as the export. tables from Calcutta and Ceylon showed an ever increasing development of the crops in Assam and the Spicy Island, the time was approaching when the taxation in China would prove to be the destruction of the trade. These warnings all passed unheeded: the Chinese pursued, with un- disturbed equanimity, their fatuous policy of killing the goose that laid the golden eggs; and could not even be diverted from that fatal course when it was clearly evident that the final extinction of the English demand was imminent. A fatality seems to hang over this valuable trade in the Central Kingdom. Not only have the high officials shown utter indifference to its gradual decay: 'even the sagacious and clear-headed Inspector-General of Maritime Customs, parting for once with his ac- customed prescience and prudence, only preached improvement of cultivation and preparation instead of strenuously advocat ing a large reduction in the burdens laid upon it. The result is seen now in the almost total cessation of inquiry for the British markets. The total export of tea from China direct to Great Britain in 1896 was only 219,409 piculs as compared with one million piculs in 1885. This season the production of Hankow and Kiukiang tens is much heavier than last year and it is
STRAITS DEPORTEES IN HONGKONG.
The proceedings in the habeas corpus case tried on the 20th May seem to indicate the desirability of passing a short Ordinance to remove all doubt as to the legality of at once sending out of the colony auy persons who may arrive here as deportees from the Straits Settlements and Federated States. In the case in question four men who had been deported from Selangor arrived in Hongkong and were at once placed under arrest and held in custody for deportation from this colony. Thereupon a writ of habeas corpus was counsel, Mr. J. J. FRANCIS, Q.C., applied for their discharge, one of the grounds of his application being that they had com- mitted no offence in this colony. The Court dismissed the application and the men
taken out and their
entitled to ask the Court to go to the root of the matter and inquire into the sufficiency or legality of the grounds upon which he was deported from the Straits. In that way a Straits a long enough purse deportee with might involve the Hongkong Government in a tedious law suit and ultimately succeed in foisting his undesirable presence upon this colony for as long as he chose to remain. It would be better therefore if it were clearly provided by law that persons arriving in this colony upon their deportation from the Straits or the Federated States shall not be entitled to remain here
longer than is necessary to enable them to take passage to their ultimate destination, that they shall be detained in custody while here, and that no order by the Hongkong Government shall be necessary for their deportation from this colony, the order of the Straits Govern- ment being held sufficient authority for moving them on. A good many deportees
from the Straits arrive here en route to China and now that the idea that they may be able to establish a legal right to remain in this colony has been suggested to them they may possibly make further attempts to carry the idea into effect, taking advantage of the points suggested by the judgment given by the Chief Justice in the case tried on the 20th May.
CHANGES IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Now that the Philippine rebellion has been suppressed speculation naturally turns on what changes are likely to result from the rising. In the first place the country will have to support a much larger European garrison than formerly. When the rebel- lion broke out there were only about fifteen hundred Spanish troops in the islands, while the native army numbered about eleven or twelve thousand. The loyalty of the latter probably saved the islands for Spain,
timated the first crop alone will left the same evening for Canton. It is for had the native troops joined the in-
55,000,000 lbs. Ordinarily the in the British demand has been made up to a considerable extent by the increase in the Russian demand; but it is stated that Russia is now over-weighted with a heavy stock and will not be able to take
possible, however, that the same question may be raised in a different form in future cases, and hence the desirability of removing all doubt in the matter. Under the law as it stands persons sentenced to deportation are entitled to remain in the colony for one month
surgents at the commencement of the dis- turbance the small body of European troops could hardly have withstood them, and the whole country would soon have been in possession of the Spain had been
ang bara half the above quantity, leaving after the date of the order, but they may be lost colony ultimately
27,500,000 lbs. to be shipped to England and America, against 18,500,000 lbs.
this
detained in custody during that period, as
ported thither last year. Seeing that they naturally would be if they elected to shown that the Philippine native makes a
is an increase of some ten million pounds, it is obvious that prices will rule at very unremunerative rates. Yet we presume
remain. But there is no reason why this colony should be burdened with the deten tion of Straits deportees any longer than is necessary to place them on the first vessel
reconquer her have been only at great cost, for the recent campaign has good soldier and clever organiser and that he is resourceful in difficulties. Open re- bellion has for the present been suppressed, but secret disaffection no doubt continues