CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
“small amount paid by the Chinese people to their governors is surprising. Ac cording to the best statistics procurable ** taxation in Chinn, inclusive of Customs "duties and salt gabelle, only amounts to "a little more than sixpence a head. Ac- "cording to the Board of Revenue tables "of taxation it is impossible to discover "that the Government requires heavier 'impost than this to be levied on "the property of the people."· Prima facie these figures would show China to be very happily circumstanced in respect of taxation, even having regard to the pro-
411
live. The case of the villagers in the New Territory will be the same, but for the pre- sent they look forward only with app sive dread to the incrensy with apprehen- take no account of the benefits they will receive in return. Their education will be a work of time.
taxation and
May 20, 1899.1
croachment beyond Russia's proper sphere. That Russia is justified in making the best terms for herself that she can must of course be admitted; whether Great Britain will assent to her terms or not is another question. In the present imperfect state of our knowledge on the subject there is but a slender basis on which to form conclusions, but it is sincerely to be hoped that the British Government will not allow itself to be led into the humiliating position of placing obstacles in Russia's way which will subsequently have to be withdrawn as unnecessary or un- reasonable. The Russian opposition to the | portion the taxation bears to the small the 1st Chinese Regiment at the new Ultima
ود
construction of the Newchwang line by a British syndicate was strongly resented by Great Britain, and rightly so. It would be humiliating if Britain now simply reversed the position and objected to any equally reasonable project on the part of Russia. It is by connection with the Trans-Siberian line that Peking must be brought into rail- way communication with Europe, and to us it appears that British prestige would be more injured by opposing such a desirable .consunimation than by the adoption of an attitude of benevolent neutrality. Other lines of communication may be opened up ultimately, but for many years to come the Tranecil, mi in Pu will be the great railway link between the Occident and the Orient, and nothing could well be more undignified than for a Power like Great Britain to in- dulge in any spiteful attemį ts to block the line. If the dispute turns on the owner ship of the connecting link between Peking and the Trans-Siberian line whether it should be avowedly Russian or nominally Chinese-it hardly seems worth arguing about, for the line in any case will be as much under Russian control as the line from Kowloon to Canton will be under British control. Possibly when Russia is brought into immediate contact with Peking the unsuitability of a city so near the frontier to be the capital of the Empire may be recognised by the Chinese, or by the Foreign Powers who may happen to control the destinies of the Empire, and a transfer of the seat of Government to Nanking or some other central city may be decided upon. That, however, is no new question, the position of Peking having long been recognised as not altogether suit able for a capital. Great Britain would certainly not find her power or prestige in China weakened should circumstances bring about a transfer of the Imperial Court to a city within the British sphere.
*
THE CHINESE REGIMENT AT
WEIHAIWEI.
(Daily Press, 15th May) We note that, according to the Weihaiwei correspondent of a Singapore contemporary, average income of the people. The figures, Thule of the British Empire is gradually however, take no account of the squeezes to assuming form. At the time he wrote which the people are subjected, but only of there had been about one hundred and the actual amount accounted for to Peking. twenty men enlisted, and these were being In considering whether a country is lightly or organised in four companies of thirty each. heavily taxed, however, the chief question to be considered is what value the people get in the average height was about 5 feet 7
A good class of men was being obtained return for the money they pay. Taking the inches, and the chest measurement about taxation of China, then, at sixpence per 341 inches. The recruits were being drilled, head only, what the people get in return is and were picking the drill up quickly, though a very poor sixpennyworth. In the New the words of command were given Territory just taken over by Fongkong the English, which is of course strange to them. population is estimated at 100,000 and the Six more officers and four non-commissioned revenue, according to a Chinese official re- officers were shortly expected to arrive turn, amounts to a little over $50,000, but from England, and it was thought that on the Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART in his he arrival of these the Regiment would be report says another estimate places it at capable of expansion into eight companies. $160,000. A good deal of the revenue, Very likely, if the companies are to however, is derived from rents of consist of thirty men to a company! Government land, which cannot strictly Yet we are disposed to think that a regi- be classed as taxation. The ordinary ment of 240 men if composed of Chinese people have been paying very little in- is more than sufficient for our needs in deed in the way of taxation and they are China. In fact, it would be better to apprehensive that their transfer to British abandon the iden altogether. In raising rule will mean a great increase to their bur- Chinese troops and teaching them it may deas. In Hongkong the total revenue is be doubted whether the game is worth the in round figures 3,000,000, which on a po- candle. The Chinese make but indifferent pulation of 250,000 gives $12 a head, and soldiers, and are very likely to quit the even deducting land revenue and other service so soon as they see a chance of sources of income that may be considered getting better pay under their own Govern- notftoall under the heading of taxation in the ment. And though they know perfectly common acceptation of the word, the rate per well that with the mandarins they would head will still reach $6 or over. Naturally always have their pay in arrear they would the town residents contribute proportion place against that disadvantage the solid ately more to the revenue than the villag-one (to them) of laxer discipline and of ers, and if the Hongkong scale of taxation | advancement as drill instructors and petty were at once applied to the New Territory it would not amount to anything like 86 a head, but it would undoubtedly amount to a good deal more than the inhabitants have been accustomed to pay hitherto, Mr. LOCKHART in his report says that "until "further experience has shown in what
manner revenue can best be raised with out exciting the suspicion or irritating "the feelings and prejudices of the in- "habitants it would be well to interfere as little as possible with the present 'system and sources of taxation.' The advice is sound for the time being, but it A recent issue of the North-China Daily will not be long before experience will News contained an interesting article in demonstrate the necessity for a larger re- which a comparison was instituted of the venue, and then means for increasing the taxation to which various countries are sub-iaxation will have to be found. The ject. Englishmen, we are told, pay £2.10 each for the expense of government and Frenchmen £3.10. Russians pay £1 each and this amount is not far below the average sum which all the world's inhabitants who enjoy the blessings of regular government have to pay for the privilege. In Canada there is a population of five millions and a revenue of three million pounds sterling. In that country each person pays then only 12/ for government expenditure. The figures for some other countries having been given the writer goes on to say: There is much which is hard to explain in the “proportion of population to taxes in many countries, and the case of China is the most remarkable of all. The very
TAXATION IN CHỊNA AND ELSEWHERE,
(Daily Press, 13th May.)
<<
16
"
development and administration of the territory will cost money, and it will be no hardship upon the people to call upon them to provide the necessary revenue, seeing that they will get more than an equivalent for it in the shape of improved roads, enabling them to dispose of their produce to better advantage, improved sanitation, greater educational facilities, and various other advantages. We may take as a typical case the village of Wongneichong. The villagers there no doubt pay a great deal more in the way of taxation than they did before the British occupation, but they are also a great deal better off, the improvement in their condition being due to the better form of government under which they now
officers by reason of the experience obtained during their employment at Weihniwei. We have repeatedly mentiored the danger likely to be incurred by the employment of Chinese as troops, a danger assuredly not compensated for by the facility of their en- listment. It would be wise for the War Office to see that the slender garrisons provided for
Ї the colonies in Eastern Asia are at any rate composed of good and reliable material. It is, unfortunately only too true that in Great Britain, owing to the voluntary system maintained there, the difficulty of fluding recruits to meet the requirements and fill up the regiments on foreign service is great and increasing. But it would be better to raise regiments in the Colonies aud in Afrios rather than enlist Chinese, who have no liking or respect for the military profession, and whose anti-foreign proclivities render them at the present moment most doubtful tools to work with. The different fighting races in India may for the most part be re- lied upon to prove faithful to their salt, and they have, in the course of generations, developed an esprit de corps, a pride in the service of the Raj that would be utterly and entirely wanting among Chinese mercenaries, whose interest in their employment would be strictly limited to the reception of good pay. No dependence could be placed upon the latter either to mount a strict guard or take the most ordinary care of their pons. The Chinese soldier is a most cas creature and can with difficulty be taught