August 27, 1898. ]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE TIENTSIN-CHINKIANG RAILWAY.
only in the waters of a Treaty Port, or going thence inland, are to be registered at the Cus tom House, and there take out papers, showing respectively the owner's name, residence, name
Shanghai, 17th August. and type of steamer, number of crew, etc., etc., The concession for this proposed line, it will in addition to whatever national papers they be remembered, was originally given to a United are allowed or required by law to carry. Such States' syndicate, represented by Dr. Yang Customs papers are to be renewed annually, Wing. Difficulties arose in consequence of the and are to be surrendered on any change of war between the United States and Spain, and ownership, or when the vessel ceases to ply. the objection of the Germans to allow any one The fee for the first issue of Customus papers but Getmans to construct railways in their will be Tael 10, and for each renewal, Taels 2, preserve, Shantung. We now learn from 3.-Such registered steamers may ply freely Peking that the difficulties which were inter- within the waters of the port without reporting|fering with the conclusion of the contract for their movements to the Customs, but if they the construction of the line have been go inland they must report both departure and surmounted. It is to be an Anglo-German return. No unregistered steamer will be undertaking with a capital of about five allowed to ply inland.
Guillious sterling to be provided at four and 4-As regards exhibition of lights, preven-u-half per cent; and the arrangement now tion of collision, shipping of crews, and made will enable the railway to be carried inspection of boilers and machinery, etc., by the only practicable route through Shantung. all such steamers are to observe the rules in A circuitous route avoiding Shautang, as was force at the port they belong to. These rules at one time proposed, would been have far more will be published by the Customs and printed expensive and less remunerative. on the vessel's Custom papers.
B. REVENUE,
5. Datiable cargo shipped under these re- gulations at any Treaty Port, on a registered steamer for conveyance to the interior, must be declared at the Custom House and pay on ex. port such duties as the Customs décide to be leviable. Datjable cargo brought from inland to a Treaty Port is to be in like manner dealt with by the Customs there. As to the duties to be paid by ressels of foreign merchants, they are to be in accordance with the Treaty Tariff. 6.-Cargo landed or shipped inland is to pay at the place of landing or shipment whatever duty or likin local regulations call for. In deal- ing with the vessels of the foreign merchants a procedure analogous to what the Treaty Tariff calls for is to be followed.
7-If such steamers have vessels in tow, they must bring to at whatever likin stations the vessels Lowed are required to stop at for inspec. tion, and for the respective carges of both vessels to be dealt with as the local rules prescrible. The rules to be enforced on foreign merchants must be in accordance with Treaty provisions, and as well be published in full by the Customs. Unregistered steamers are not permitted to tow vessels on the Yangtze.
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8.-Offences inland, whether against revenue laws or affecting persons or property, are to be dealt with by the local authorities of the dis- trict in the same way as if they committed by their Own people; if the vessel concerned is foreign owued or the Chinese implicated is Chinese employed on board such foreign owned vessel, the local authorities are to communicate with the nearest Commissioner of Customs, and the Commissioner in turn with the Consul, who may send a deputy to watch the proceedings. If the offender claims the status of a foreigner, he is to be treated in the manner prescribed in the Treaties where foreigners without passports are arrested and sent to the proper Consul through the Commissioner of Customs at the nearest port.
19.-If any such steamer passes any in. land station or likin barrier that ought to be stopped at without stopping, or if any of the passengers, grow, etc., create trouble inland, the vessel may be fined or punished according to the station regulations, and the Customs may cancel the vessel's papers and refuse permission for her to trade infand again. In cases where foreign-owned vessels are concerned, the merchant interested may elect to bring the whole case and the question of fine before a Joint Investigation Court to be dealt with according to regulations for cases of fine and confiscation promulgated in the year 1868.
The above rules ard for the inauguration of steam traffic, and suffice for the time being; if hereafter it is found that changes are necessary, they can be made from time to time as required. Note. These regulations, as will be seen by the last paragraph, Jare still more or less provi- sional, and it will be noticed that there is no special provision for the acquisition by foreign- ers of property in the interior for the purpose of constructing the necessary wharves and go- downs. We presume that Articles IX and XII of the Treaty of Tientsin will still govern this matter.-N. C. Daily News.
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There is only one route practically possible for the line to take, in the course of which some formidable engineering difficulties will have to be contended with. The line will have to be constructed from Chinkiang to Tsingkiangpu along the bank of the Grand Canal, with water on either side of it. At Tsingkiangpu it will cross the old bed of the Yellow River, and thence follow the course of the great road from Peking to the South, a distance of 490 li, to Ichoufu, which is one of the most important trade centres in the province of Shantung. Be- tween Ichoufn and Taigufn a range of hills about 800 feet high will have to be crossed and the country hereabouts is mountainous and rocky. Near Taiaufu is Tai Shan, one of the five sacred mountains, which is visited annually by thousands of pilgrims. Still following the great road it will pass about 30 li from Tsinau, the provincial capital, until it crosses the Yel- low River, at Chelo, across country which during the summer is under water. From the Yellow River to Techou the country is low. lying and very flat. being especially liable to floods in the rainy season. The remainder of the distance presents no especially difficult features. Wo'shall hear with great pleasure of an actual commencement of work on this rail way. It really is a commercial, not a political, line and as such is to be specially welcomed.—- N. C. Daily News.
THE RUSSIAN RAILWAY GAUGE IN CHINA.
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We can authoritatively stato a most import. ant piece of news in connection with the great international struggle for railway concessions in China which will have a grave effect upon future developments in that direction. It has been settled that the gange of the Peking- Hankow line and of the Shanhai-kwau-New chwang extension is to be the Russian standard, namely, 24 archiús-au urchin is 23 inches,- and all future extensions that may join either of the lines mentioned are to be constructed on this gauge. This will certainly apply to Jar- dine's projected Shanghai-Chinkiang-Nanking line.-China Gazette.
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THE YELLOW RIVER AGAIN.
The Daily Chinese Progress publishes a tele-, gram dated 11th instant from its Chining (Shantung) correspondent stating that region north of the Aushan Monutains has been inundated for hundreds of li by the Yellow River caused by immense breaches made in its banks. Several hundred thousand people are thus plunged into utter distress and waut and the high provincial authorities appear to be powerless, owing to want of funds, to relieve the general distress.-N. C. Daily News.
HONGKONG.
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Telegraphic communication with Iloilo was restored on Thursday.
Telegraphic communication with Manila was restored on 21st August.
There were 1,816 visitors to the City Hall Museum last week, of whom 170 were Europeans, During the week ended 20th August no caseN of communicable disease were reported in the colony.
The P. and O. steamer Verona has been chartered by the China and Manila Steamship | Co., Limited, and placed on the Manila line.
H. M. S. Alacrity went out for a trial trip on Saturday, on the completion of her overhaul, and left for Weihaiwei on Sunday, 21st August.
Messrs. Wm. G. Hale & Co., in their circular. dated Saigon, 16th August, say that tightness of money in Hongkong discourages rice ship. | ments thither.
It is notified in the Gazette that H. E. the Acting Governor has been pleased to appoint Mr. E. Osborne to be a member of the Sanitary Board, vico Mr. N. J. Ede, resigned.
Two Chinamen wero charged at the Magis- tracy on 23rd Aug, with exporting 1,000 rounds of rifle ammunition 1,200 rounds of revolver am- munition, and 80 tins of percussiou caps without a permit. The case was remitted to the Har- bour Office.
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A curious slip was made at the meeting of the Dock Company on Monday by the Chairman, who spoke of increasing the capital hundred fold," when what he evidently meant was increasing it by one hundred per cent, or, in other words, doubling it.
The German steamer Donar, on arrival at
Saigon from Hongkong, was placed under ar- rest, French Customs officers having discovered hundred taels of contraband opium on six board, supposed to have been secreted by Chin- ese before the vessel left Hongkong.
In the
With reference to the letter signed Economy" in last week's issue, we under- stand that all the night soil and dust boats are the property of the several contractors. recent gale no night soil boats were damaged, and the damage sustaiued by the dust boats was due to the owners out removing them sufficient- ly rapidly. The contractors were warned of the approach of the gale and advised to move their boats.
John Kennedy, Gardou Road, was charged at the Magistracy on 23rd August with ill-treating a horse by allowing it to remain in the South Tower at Stonecutters Island without food or water from the 12th to the 20th instant. An Indian constable gave it food and water in the meantime; otherwise it would have died. David Kennedy, defendant's brother, said there was a
man over at the Island to look after the horses, and he thought there was plenty of food. A fine of $25 was imposed.
Some years ago several of the local Insurance Companies, taking advantage of what was then deemed an advantageous rate of exchange, realised a portion of their sterling securities and reinvested the amount locally. They have been regretting the step over since and we hear that there is a tendency now fo follow the example of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank and invest the whole of the reserves in gold. With this view mortgages are being called in. The friends of silver seem to be gradually waver- ing in their allegiance.
The writer of "Stray Notes" in the Kobe Chronicle says:-This is certainly a year of fires. Not content with an extraordinary number of blazes on shore, we have now wit- nessed the destruction of a fine ship by fire in the bay, being the third vessel which has been on fire in this port during the last few months. The May Flint had to be beached and scuttled, the Hiroshima-maru had a great quantity of cargo destroyed, and now the Baring Brothers, ready for dispatch with a full cargo, has fallen a prey altogether to what the sensational re- Que of The Danish steamer Activ arrived at Shang-porter calls the devouring element." bai on the 18th August from Hankow, having the Fire Insurance Companies has, it appears, been in collision on the night of the 12th with taken fright at Kobe altogether, the China a Chinese lorcha when near Kiukiang. Only Fire Insurance Co., Limited, haring issued a slight damage was done to the lorcha, but the notice cancelling all policies now in force. starboard side of the Actie was considerably The China Fire has been very unfortunate, damaged, several plates being bulged; one of having been involved in all the big blazes that the life-boats was smashed in the davits and the have occurred here of late, particulary those in gangway was carried away.—N. C. Daily News. the tea-firing godowns,
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