it
July 1, 1897.]
tory note. The portion of this explanatory note which relates to Macao is reproduced in the Echo Macaense of the 20th June. It commences by referring to the opening of the West River, to Portugal's right to participate in the trade under the favoured nation clause, and to the favourable geo- graphical position of Macao in respect of it. "Two obstacles, however, oppose the future "prosperity of Macao," the note continues, one of them being the silting up of the "harbour and the other the tonnage dues. "The former cannot be immediately re- medied, but it is less harmful than the latter, for the harbour is in any case "accessible to vessels of light draught. "Tonnage dues have already driven from "Macao the vessels trading with Pakhoi and "Hoihow and have produced a diminution "of 53 per cent. in the vessels entering the port, as shown by the statistics of trade "included in the census returns of 1896." Under these circumstances it is considered desirable to abolish the tonnage dues in so far as regards vessels arriving from Hongkong and the ports of China. No prejudice to the treasury need be feared from this step, the explanatory note says, because the amount formerly derived from tonnage dues will be more than made up by the development of traffic resulting from the numerous vessels that will arrive from the ports now opened to trade, which will greatly augment the colonial revenue,
"
Perhaps the officials who are consumed with a desire to tax shipping may look upon Macao as an insignificant competitor that may safely be ignored. Macao looked upon Hongkong when it was established as a British colony in precisely the same light, and in the Portuguese publications of that -day may be found arguments bearing a remarkable similarity to those now made use of by Hongkong officials with reference to the advantages of geographical position and the fact of trade having become, as was supposed, rooted in the place. The history of Macao's decadence should act as a warn- ing to Hongkong. The Portuguese Govern- ment is now awaking to a recognition of the errors of the past and if it has the energy to steadily pursue a course of improvement, while Hongkong imposes burdens on ship ping, there can be no doubt that Macao will capture a large slice of the trade that now centres at Hongkong. Not only have ton- nage dues been abolished at Macao, but the dredging of the barbour has been commenced, and, though there is not much prospect of rendering the harbour accessible to ocean liners unless works of much greater magni- tude than those at present in contemplation are undertaken, coasting boats as well as river steamers will thereby be induced to make use of the port. The trade with Pak- hoi and Hoihow formerly centred at Macao, and if Hongkong continues to levy dues on shipping while Macao exists as a free port and improves her harbour, there seems no good reason why the trade should not return there. And, as trade attracts trade, the transfer of one line to Macao would en- courage the transfer of others. While Macao levied tonnage dues largely in excess of those levied at Hongkong the contention of the officials that an impost of two and a half cents a ton would not keep a single vessel away from Hongkong carried with it some plausibility, but with an absolutely free port competing with us at our very doors the argument has ceased absolutely to have any validity. It is a moral certainty that under the new conditions un impost of two and a half cents a ton will keep a β in number of vessels away from the port, and an impost of even one cent a ton
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. would have a tendency in that direction The best thing the Government could do would be to abolish the tonnage dues alto- gether.
SUBJECTS.
WILLIAM ROBINSON had very good reasons, indeed for recommending Mr. CHATER and the honour conferred upon that gentleman has afforded to the community of Hongkong very real and general satisfaction. Mr. THE STATUS OF CHINESE BRITISH CHATER has been eminently successful as a business man, and a large part of his business having been on the stock exchange may be correctly described as speculative. It is entirely incorrect, however, to say that he is nothing more than a speculator. Some of the most flourishing of our local enter- prises owe their initiation and success largely to Mr. CHATER, and the association of his name with any undertaking at once com- mands public confidence. It is not as a suc- cessful business man, however, that he has been included in the list of those upon whom Jubilee honours have been bestowed, but as a public man who has rendered conspicuous public service. In 1886 Mr. CHATER Was elected by the Justices of the Peace a mem ber of the Legislative Council, and for several years past he has been the senior unofficial member of that body, a position he has filled with credit to himself and with much ad- vantage and satisfaction to the public. That we have sometimes had occasion to oppose Mr. CHATER's views, notably on the Sani- tary Board and light dues questions, does not detract from our appreciation of the evident sincerity of his desire on all occasions to serve what he conceived to be the public interest. Moreover, if the man is a public benefactor who makes two blades of grass grow where one grew before, the man who adds thirty acres of building land to the area of an over-crowded city is also entitled to that designation; and it is to Mr. CHATER that Hongkong owes the Praya Reclamation, which is being built over as rapidly as the land becomes available. The senior unofficial member of Council takes rank as our leading citizen, and if Her Majesty desired to honour the colony it was natural that She should do so in the person of Mr. CHATER. In Hong- kong when it was announced that the hon. gentleman had been made a C.M.G. not only was it felt that he himself well deserved the honour, but that the colony was also honoured.
The action of the British Consular autho- rities at Shanghai in declining to recognise and immediately afford protection to a British subject of Chinese race who had neglected to register himself has been ad- versely criticised in some quarters, but appears to have been not altogether indefensible. It is unnecessary to go into the details of the case further than to say that a Chinaman claiming to be a British subject, but who had not re- gistered as such, got into trouble with the native authorities and was arrested, where- upon he appealed to the British Consulate for protection, but was some little time before he received it. The question of the recognition to be accorded in China to Chinese claiming to be British subjects has often been discussed. It is obviously undesirable that men should be allowed to pass as Chinese subjects while all goes smoothly with them and to rush to the Consul for protection as soon as they get into a scrape, possibly through their own misconduct. In order to prevent abuse of their status it was suggested many years ago that Chinese British subjects should be required to wear some distinctive mark in their dress or even to discard the queue. Suggestions of that description may be dis- missed as impracticable, but the test of registration is a simple one and ought to be insisted upon. If a Chinaman values his status as a British subject so lightly that he does not think it worth while to protect it by registration little sympathy can be felt for him if he is put to some trouble in establishing it when necessity arises. The Consular authorities, it seems to us, are justified in assuming, in the absence of registration, either that the applicant for protection never had the status of a British subject or that having had it he has re- linquished it, and more especially so if the applicant, as in the Shanghai case, acquired Chinese official rank, either by pur- chase or otherwise. Extreme cases some- times afford clear illustrations of principle, and as bearing on the Shanghai case we may ask what is the status as regards nation- ality of H.E. Wu TING-FANG, the Chinese Minister to the United States. That gentle man is a British subject by birth, but he has for many years been in the service of the Emperor of China, and has become to all intents and purposes a Chinese subject. In the event of his being impeached, would Great Britain step forward and insist on his being tried by British law as a British subject? We think not.
has
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PERJURY BY ASIATIC WITNESSES.
ηη
SINGH and two others, all three gunners in The case of the QUEEN against GUNDA
the Asiatic Artillery stationed at Lyeemun Fort, who were charged with, and finally con- of the offence known as victed of, a peculiarly atrocious specimen 'wounding with occupied the Supreme Court for three "intent to inflict grievous bodily harm," long days and was only concluded on Saturday night about nine o'clock. The case for the prosecution alleged the assault upon BHAGAT SINGH to have been com- mitted close by the Reverse battery between nine and half-past on the night of the 29th April. To meet this case three or four of THE HON. C. P. CHATER, C.M.G.
GUNDA SINGu's comrades came forward and swore that he was in the Fort with them THE comments of the N. C. Daily News on
till ten o'clock that night. Hongkong affairs are frequently peculiar, from seven nud the following vicious little paragraph is One of them swore he saw him come in with two comrades, carrying especially so:-"Every one in Shanghai at seven "heard with delighted satisfaction of the vegetables, and that he looked at the clock "honour done to Mr. GEORGE JAMIESON, and noticed it was at seven; and the two "but it is a slight depreciation of that comrades were called to corroborate this and "honour that Mr. CHATER, of Hongkong, prove he never afterwards left the Fort but should receive it at the same time. What was present at roll call at ten o'clock. The Mr. CHATER has done to deserve such anjury, however, unanimously found the three honour at the QUEEN's hands, beyond being a successful speculator, we do not know; but we presume Sir WILLIAM ROBINSON has good reasons for recom- mending him for the distinction." Sir |
men charged guilty, and disbelieved the evidence of those called to prove the alibi; which is not at all surprising, seeing that, as the Attonney-General pointed out," GUNDA himself stated he got to the Fort,