August 6, 1898.]
both at the port of entry and in the interior of the Empire.
If the Belgian Syndicate receives advice from the Belgian Government that China cannot ac- cord them entry free of the duty, it will be the duty of the General Company to obtain the necessary delay of one mouth or else the present contract will be annulled.
This contrect will be legally nullified in the following cases :—
War.
The diminution in value of the French Rentes (Rente Francaise) below par value.
If the Belgian Syndicate cannot scrupulously carry out the conditions of the present contract this document will immediately become void and without effect; and in the case of the General Company immediately taking advantage of its liberty to treat on the same question elsewhere and with other nationalities it may immediately dismiss the Belgian Engineer-in- Chief.
Art. 26-Differences arising between the General Company and the Belgian Syndicate or between the Chinese authorities and the Belgian Representative, will be taken up and decided with equity and justice by the Tsungli Yamen or the Belgian Minister in Peking. In a case where both the authorities are unable to come to an understanding they will choose by common consent a third arbitrator whose decision will be final.
Art. 27.-The Belgian Syndicate are entitled to hold the sum of £20,000 deposited with the Russo-Chinese Bauk against scrip as surety that it has fulfilled the conditions of Article 18; that is to say, of which it has used for the said Russo-Chinese Bank in Shanghai the first sum of 8,600,000 francs within a period of one month from the signature of the present contract.
Art. 28-If the Belgian Minister should desire that a model of the scrip should be notified officially by the Tsungli to the Gorera- ments of places wherein these scrip may be issued, the Tsungli Yamen must notify the Minister of such country.
Art. 29.-The present contract is done in triplicate :
One for the Tsungli Yamen,
One for the General Company, and One for the Belgian Syndicate. The French text will be the true copy in case of dispute.
This contract is to be submitted for the approbation of H.M. the Emperor of China. The Tsungli Yamen will notify the Belgian Minister, and, if necessary, the Ministers of the country where the circulation of scrip is to be made.
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The clauses of the contract signed at Wu chang on the 27th May, 1897, and in Shanghai on the 21st July, 1847, which do not clash with the present contract are respected, namely, article 14 of the Wachang contract, and article 2 of the Shanghai contract, etc.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
of Railways Sheng-ta-yen, whereof the General Company is situated in Shanghai, of the one part, and the Belgian Syndicate, which is situated in Pekin, of the other part.
The present contract has been concluded be- tween them whereof the conditions are as follow: {
Art. 1-The General Company has been authorised by Imperial Decree of 2 th October, 1896, to construct the Lu-Han railway line, a copy of which decree is annexed to the present contract, giving the right to the Belgian Syn- dicate, who must select a representative capable of directing, for the account and to the profit of the General Company, the construction aud exploitation of the said line.
The Central Bank of Belgium, in Brussels, and the Russo-Chinese Bank of which they are cognizant in the present contract, must make their dispositions for the execution of the clauses which interest them. They cannot hold any other but a direct interest.
The General Company will recognise the res- ponsibility of none but the Belgian Syndicate, in conformity with Article 14 of the Wuchang contract.
Done in Shanghai the 26th June, 1898, (8th day, 5th month, 24th year of Kwang-hsu)
(Signed) CHENG TA YEN,
Superintendent of Railways.
HUBERT, Representative of the Belgian
Syndicate.
We (China Gazette) gire below the supple- mentary Convention agreed to by Sheng Taotai, on behalf of the Chinese General Railway Com- pany, and M. Hubert, on behalf of the Belgian Syndicate, on the same day as the very remark- able contract which we published yesterday. We reserve any comments until our readers are in full possession of all the documents, which we give in the original French text with a free translation in English DEFINITE CONTRACT RELATIVE TO THE
EXPLOITATION OF THE HANKOW-LOU-
KOU-CHIAO RAILWAY,
Art. 2.--The Belgian Syndicate, on the com- pletion of each trunk line, must inform the General Company, requesting them to take delivery, and to fame the staff necessary for directing its working.
Between their Excellencies the Viceroys of Pechili and of Hakwang and the Superintendent
All the rolling stock, the necessary fittings aud implements are to be in readiness as 800D as the permanent way.
The Belgian Syndicate or its Representative is to be chosen by the General Company in conformity with Article 1 of the present con- tract. He must direct this industrial enterprise with care, and employ a European staff whose engagements may be cancelled in case of neces- sity.
The Belgian Syndicate manst submit for the approbation of the Superintendent the list of the staff eugaged hud of their salaries; it (the Syndicate) may drder the necessary material and works for the preservation and repair of the said railway.
The Belgian Syndicate in conformity with the contract signed with the Imperial Govern ment and the General Company must present the following list for the approval of the Super- intendent:
Freight on the transportation of goods; Passage money of passengers; Approximate receipts;
Ordinary expenditure of the General Com- pany.
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The Chinese Director to be nominated by the General Company will have the right of con- trolling the accounts drawn up under the direc. tion of the Belgian Syndicate at the time of construction as well as during the working.
The material and works necessary for the maintenance and repair of the said railway must be taken and purchased free on board with preference for establishments directed by the Superintendent Sheng-ta-yen.
Art. 3.-In case of war, offensive or defen- sive, or troubles in the interior, the said railway must be reserved first for the transportation of troops mobilised by the Imperial Government and of the necessary materials and engines of war. These transports will pay but a moiety of the tariff; they will be made under the orders of the Superintendent.
The railway line will perform no service re- cognised as prejudical to the Imperial Govern ment.
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the conduct of the work on behalf of the General Company.
Art. 7. Any differences which may arise between the authorities or between the General Company and the Belgian Syndicate, will be decided and judged in conformity with Article 26 of the final contract relative to the loan.
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Art. 8.-In cases where the routes in opera- tion are insufficient for all the works mentioned above, the General Company must find the means necessary to secure daily service of trains.
an uninterrupted.
Art. 9.-The material and component parts purchased in Europe by the Belgian Syndicate for the proper upkeep and repair of the said railway are exempt from all taxation and lekin in China.
Art. 10. The present contract is done in triplicate :
One for the Tsung-li Yamen,
Que for the Chinese General Company, and, One for the Belgian Syndicate. The French text will be the only true copy in case of dispute.
This contract is to be submitted for the approbation of the Imperial Government and notified by the Tsugli Yamen to the Belgian Minister, and, if uacessary, to the Ministers of the country where the scrip of the loan is to be placed in circulation.
Done in Shanghai, the 26th June, 1898.
(Signed) SHEng Ta yan.
HUBERT.
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Referring to a paragraph in the Echo do Chine with reference to the version of the Ln- Han Railway contract published in the China Guzette and reproduced in our colomns, the Gazette says:-
We would call our contemporary's attention to the fact that both M. Hubert and Sbeng Tuotai are in Shanghai to speak for themselves. We challenge M. Hubert, Sheng Taotai, and everybody else who is privy to the contract to say that, mere verbiage aside, our version of the contract is inaccurate in any statement of fact. We are now well aware that the French version
we published was made from the official Chinese text by an accomplished French-speaking Chinaman, and though there may have been a slip here and there in style and diction, the documents which the China Gazette published are in every material point accurate and true. No two men translate alike, and it would be strange indeed if the official French text, written by M. Hubert, agreed in every word with a translation made by even the most accomplished French and Chinese scholar. Our contemporary refers to the sheets of paper that have been wasted in drawing up this famous contract, which we admit must be prodigious considering the mess those to whom it was entrusted made of the business at first, notil it got into the very capable bunds which have brought it to completion. It is at the same time only right to say that the contract was telegraphically dictated article by article from St. Petersburg, Paris, and Brussels till it as- rest, they will take, three months previous to sumed its present form. Our contemporary, the expiration of each half year, a sufficient sum we venture to say, never saw the French or from the net results of the operation for deposit Chinese text and merely published the inspired with the Belgian Bank or with the bank desig|paragraph this morning at the instance of those nated by the Belgian Syndicate. The bank will who fear the premature exposure of the politi convert this into golf for the payment of the cal significances of the contract will defeat the amortisement and interest. This method of pay project, which we earnestly hope will be the ment will always be followed until the complete case. Unless Great Britain is really the played- redemption of the borrowed capital.
out forces her enemies pretend to believe the contract will never be carried out, even if it costs a war to stop it. There is no doubt of the intentions that lurk behind the contract, which is still unratified, and we trust that even at the eleventh hour Sir Claude Macdonald- will be able to give it its quietus.
Art. 4.-For the redemption of the loan of
112,500,000 frauces and for the use of the inte-
The net surplus from the operation will be remitted to the treasury of the General Com- pany, with the deduction of 19 per cent to form a reserve fund intended for the expenses of all uccessary repairs on the line.
Art. 5. The present contract is valid for thirty years. But if during this period the sum of 112,500,000 francs is not redeemed this cou tract will be prolonged, with full rights, to the time when the complete repayment of the loan shall have been made
If, on the other hand, the complete repayment has been made before thirty years, this contract will be legally annulled by full right, the day upon which the repayment has been effected.
Art. 6. -During the validity of the preseut contract, the Company agrees to give 20 per eat. not bonus, after all expenditures, the payment of capital and of interest, to the Belgian Syndicate as gratification to them for
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The China Gazcite says :--We understand that the taipaus of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson Co... and Messrs. Butterfield and Swire have given permission to their employés on board the Indo- China and China Navigation steamers to join the "naval brigade" of the Shanghai Volunteer Corps. Lieut. Carmichael may consequently expect a large accession to the strength of the useful unit he commands, which already boasts some eighty members of a highly useful charac- ter, and very ugly enemies for any mob to deal with.