BHN CHINA ASSOCIATION'S DE FINITION OF THE OPEN DOOR.
(Daily Press, 17th January.) In another column will be found a series of resolutious passed by the Committee of the
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
only unsuccessful, but-and we say it with all respect to the gentlemen forming the committee-a complete absurdity. This will be seen at once if it be applied to a particular case. For instance, an Anglo-Italian Syndicate, with the support
[January 21, 1899.
THE FRENCH DEMANDS AT
SHANGHAI,
(Daily Press, 16th January.) According to telegrams from home the question of the territorial
Hongkong Branch of the China Associa of the British and Italian Governments, has part of the French (KE TENSI
?
5
יין
A
عند مستديمة ساحة صدبار
3.
at
tion last month and transmitted to Lord obtained a concession under which it enjoys Shanghai from the Chinese Viceroy at CHARLES BERESFORD, Sir CLAUDE MAC the exclusive right and privilege of making Nanking has been raised above the level of DONALD, the Shanghai Branch of the railways and working mines in Shausi and a purely local topic, and the Tymes has Association, and the Committee of the As- Honan. According to the Hongkong plainly stated that the British Government, sociation in London. It will be observed Branch of the China Association the grant apart from the Chinese, " does not intend Presum with satisfaction that the Committee places ing of such exclusive right or privilege to submit to such treatment." Pres on record its opinion that the revenue should be deemed by other Powers an un- ably the Times considers that the aggressive system of China is the greatest of all friendly act etc., etc. It may be urged policy the French have displayed at Shang- obstacles to the improvement of trade, to that this is a travesty of the Association's hai is a menace to the preservation of the the increase of manufactures; to the openin; contention" and "that the wording of the re-integrity of that dubious region known as of mines and the construction of railways solution was never meant to apply to con- the " Yangtsze Valley.” Whatever may be / in China, and that the British Government cessions granted to mercantile corporations the exact geographical limitations of that should bring all its power and influence to of any nationality whatsoever. But in point term there is no room to doubt that it com- bear on the Imperial Government to compel of fact, the granting of concessions to theprises the land adjacent to and upon which unification of the finances of the Goy subjects of particular Powers is all that the is built the foremost commercial city of the ernment, Imperial and Provincial, in the policy of spheres of influence really amounts Chinese Empire. Placing that interpreta- hands of a special service entirely manned to as the term is ordinarily understood. It tion upon the statement by the, Times, and by Europeans and worked on the plan of the has been cleverly said that the future in-accepting the fact that Shanghai, above all Imperial Maritime Customs. In expressing fluence of the various Powers in China will places, is essentially within the sphere of that opinion the China Association may depend upon their command of railway the Yangtze Valley, the question that -count upon the support of every Britisher power, as maritime supremacy depends upon present; itself for considemtion is, will the 'in' China. It will be observed that the the command of sea power. The simile fulfilment of the French demands if they resolutions were passed a month after Lord may not be correct, but at present it is ap be fulfilled constitute an alienation of Charles Beresford had inade his Shang-parently strongly believed in by some of the territory from the protective wings of Great hai speech, in which he set out the re- Powers, who are making every effort to Britain to become ultimately, French vin organisation of the Chinese army as the secure railway concessions. In this sense name, administration, ani" possession ? To great panacea for the country's ills, but the the creation of spheres of influence is inevit-weigh such an issue it is necessary to con China Association lends no support to his able, for it is obvious that if à particlar wider the French claims and what led lordship's recommendations on this point. railway concession has been granted to a their origin, and "also to view the isolated On the contrary, while Lord CHARLES British syndicate the salf-same concession position of the French concession. At the BERESFORD Say the reorganisation of the cannot be granted to a Russian syndicate, and of July last year there occurred at army is necessary for police purposes, the and vice versa. Such concessions will never Shanghai a serious riot 'amongst the Ningpo Hongkong Branch of the China Association be put up to open tender, but will be community in consequence of a body of says that with the unification of the granted under the influence of the strongest French Volunteers and sailors attempting collection of revenues in the hands of a diplomatic pressure, and, it may perhaps in to take possession of the Ningpo Joss house special department such as is recommended some cases be added, the heaviest bribes. and the land contiguous to it, : : The feelings in one of the other resolutions there will This race for concessions at Peking and the of the Ningpo community throughout the necessarily be conjoined an immense im- mixing up of the diplomatic body therein whole of the foreign settlements were provement in the policing of trade routes is in danger of degrading the European naturally excited, chiefly over what they both by land and water and greater name and reputation with the Chinese, and considered, as with all Chinese, an outange. additional security for investments in if the various Powers could come to some namely, the molestation of their dead, "aparé Ching; from which it would seem that the working agreement between themselves, as from the question of wrongful seizure. Association considers the organisation of an our great Steamship Companies do when The result of the affair was that mob law effective Customs Service with its preventive they find competition mutually disastrous, for some time prevailed, and struggle brauch would sufficiently meet the require it would be an excellent thing, even though ensued between the French force and the. ments of the case so far as foreign trade and it involved some recognition of spheres of Cinese in which several of the latter were investments are concerned. Having the influence. But the absurdity of the China killed.” #?
Looking calmly at this affair it must resolutious of the China Association before Association's definition may be tested by him it seems rather singular that Lord another instance. It has been agreed that be admitted that the French were to Charles BeresfORD in his speech at Sir ROBERT HART's successor is to be a blame, they undoubtedly being the aggrés- the public meeting promoted by the Hong- British subject. Is not that an exclusive sors. The deaths that resulted are only kong 'General Chamber of Commerce did right or privilege" granted to Great Bri justified so far as the French Volunazora: not more fully explain why he thought tain? Would other nations be justified in and sailors are concerne by, the fact that the reorganisation of the army should deeming the granting of such right or they acted under orders and on the be the first step in the work of reform- privilege to Great Britain an unfriendly authority of their consular representative, ing the Chinese administration. His Lord act? Surely the China Association would in defence of their own lives from the ship did so at the private tiffin at which not say so, but its definition of the policy onslaught of a furious mob. It is to be he was entertained on the following day by of the open door leads to that conclusion. hoped that by now those, Volunteers have the Ching Association, when the point was No two people seem to have the same con- acquired" wisdom and with that wisdom "understanding," for high-handed action of directly presented to him by the Chairman ception of the meaning either of spheres of in proposing his lo.dship's health, and it influence or of the open door and under those that nature is scarcely consonant, we take will probably be admitted by those who circumstances we would suggest that the use it, with the object of the formation of Vol- heard it that the explanation was rather of the terms in ordinary everyday contro unteer forces in the Northern Settlements, convincing, but unfortunately, the gathering versy should be dropped, or at all events jeopardising as it did the life of every being a private one, the public had not the suspended until their meanings have been person in Shanghai, The French authori- opportunity of reading any report of his defined more clearly than the China Associaties were responsible for the injury
tion has succeeded in defining them.
and the great inconvenience and alarm lordship's speech on that occasion.
occupants of the foreign Bettlements put to by the attitude of the Ningpo (aon munity. They were in the wrong their claim to the Ningpo Jose hou from their attempted forcible invalid. The French have previous to this indulged in similar freaks-with-like results. Previous to the riots of 1874 the Joss-house was handed over to the Ningpo Guild, during the joint occupation, by a body of British sailors, who had forestalled the French in taking possession. In 1874
B
The resolutions also compel attention on account of their condemnation of the spheres
**
ཚ་
!
one of The Courrier d'Haiphong says that of influence policy, the advocacy of the the most important cement factories of France policy of the open door, and the attempted is sending out an engineer, to Tonkin to definition of the latter. We use the term conduct an investigation with a view to deter “ attempted definition," because the defini-mining whether it might be possible to establish
a taotory there, zaf tion cannot be accepted as a succe-sful one. la Also it may be remarked that if a definition of The houses on the hill at Kobe occupied by the open a
door policy was deemed necessary Mr Clapp and Mr. Gomes were burnt down on the 6th January," Mr. Clapp was insured for the policy of spheres of influence should 5,000 yen in the Hongkong Fire. The other also have been defined. The attempted insurances were in home offices, the Northern definition of the open door policy is not and the Imperial.
?
at s
|
|
15
rere
}
i
j