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|| CONSUL TO THE SHIPPING COMPANIES.
British Consulate,- Canton, 6th May, 1899, Gentlemen,-Referring to your letter of March 28th, forwarding a joint petition of British shipping firms to Her Majesty's Minis- ter at Peking with reference to the working of the Inland Steam Navigation, I am directed to hand you the enclosed reply, and have to ask you to communicate it to the other British firms interested.—I am, gentlemen, your obe. dient servant,
R. W. MANSFIELD, Mesars. Jardine, Matheson & Co., Hongkong.
X.H.M. CHARGE D'AFFAIRS TO THE SHIPPING
COMPANIES.
Gentlemen. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 28th March with reference to the provisions of the Regulations and Rules for the Steam : Navigation" of the Inland Waters of
China
The various questions raised by you are receiv- ing my close attention and I will communicate with you further on the subject.—I am, gentle
men, you obedient servant,
tion of 28th Maroh.
H. O. BAX IRONSIDE.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESSİ AND
[September 30,:18993
ingly, in order both to protect and keep separate | invested at least to any considerable extent➡➡** the Imperial Maritime and the Provincial Inland | in the petty craft to which the depth
and revenues, the opening of the inland waters to width of inland water channels necessarily con-, steam has had to be defined as forbidding fine the steam navigation privilege, and this licensed vessels to quit Chinese waters and as privilege itself, whether rightly or wrongly ! excluding vessels that trade between treaty thought valuable, will require years of patient ports.
nursing before it can possibly answer any expectations.—I have, etc.,
ROBRET HART,
8.-What precedes will suffice without further detail to suggest explanations of, and reasons for, the restrictions foreign merchants now complain about, but in point of fact there is ne differential treatment; whatever licensed Chinese steamers can do inland, foreign flag licensed steamers can do also, and whatever inter- port foreign steamers cannot do inland, inter- port Chinese steamers are likewise forbidden to | do; but, just as Chinese waters and foreign waters are two different things, so interport trading and inland trading are also two differ- Péking, 27th April, 1899. To Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co. Messrs.ent things, and, belonging to two different fiscal Butterfield & Swire, Hongkong, Canton & systems, the Imperial and the Provincial, must be differently treated. The hybrid character ¡Hsono Steamboat Co.
of the West River has of course its inconveni- ences; from one point of view it is a continua. tion of the sea and a highway leading to the two open ports of Samshui and Wuchowfoo, while from another it is an inland water; to one set of eyes it is, notwithstanding its double character, one and the same thing, while to thing, & double entity; the interport owner another it possesses, while one and the same
wonders why his interport steamer cannot do what he sees done by inland steamers passed here and there, while the responsible revenue Peking, 17th May, 1899. officials require the two trades and the two Gentlemen,-In continuation of my letter to vessels to be kept separate; while the apparent you of 27th April, I beg to inform you that I anomaly of two treatments existing side by have been in communication with the Ins-side on the same stream is a puzzle to one pector General of Maritime Customs with party, there is the farther fact that at its reference to the observations on the Rules and mouth are the foreign waters and the foreign Regulations for Inland Steam Navigation in colonies of Hongkong and Macao, and for the China made by you in your letter to this Legs. other party-the revenue officials-this fact opens up possibilities which render it all the more necessary to distinguish between the two trades and act accordingly. Treaties, conventions, and rules being what they are on the one side, and the fiscal responsibilities being what they are on the other, the principle of the present treat- ment-distinction between inland and interport trades—seems both logical and necessary and any revision which ignores that distinction will be but a one-sided and therefore uupalatable remedy. It is not for a moment to be supposed that the inland steam navigation concession was intended to either abolish provincial taxation or kill native trade, and it is not unreasonable to ask for a recognition of provincial conditions and assent to provincial requirements. The expectations that heralded the opening of the West River were somewhat sanguine, but, even granted they could ever be realised, it is not the distinction between inland and interport trade that is either postponing or impeding that realisation. The concession was launched without sufficient consideration or preparation, and as it now is, it does not satisfy either side. The foreign trader fears that the restrictions which provincial officials call for will thwart develop ment, and the provincial official fears that the development which the foreigner aims at will destroy revenue; but both one and the other are alarmed, and perhaps unnecessarily, before the event, and plead from fear rather than from facts. If steam navigation inland is to work quietly and be a benefit, it will be necessary to legislate locally at many differ- ent points and in accordance with many differ- ent sets of circumstances, conditions, and requirements. It will only be when that is doue that regulations and procedure will be suitable and also contain in the eyes of both sides the proper proportion of support and control.
Bir Robert Hart was entrusted by the Chi- nese Government with the task of drawing up these Rules and Regulations and his views on the subject are therefore of considerable im. portance. He has written to me a reply dated 12th instant, copy of which I enclose for your information..
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The system-is, of course, upon its trial and is being parefully watched and reported upon by Her Majesty's Consuls in all parts of China, It should be given due time to afford a fair test of its merits. Your remarks as to the West River trade will be borne in mind in case revision prove to be necessary.-I am, gentle. men, Your obedient servant,
H. O. BAT-IRONSIDE. To Mesars. Jardine, Matheson & Co., Messre. Butterfeld & Swire, Hongkong, Canton and Macao Steamboat Co., Limited.
INEFECTOR-GENERAL TO H. B. M.
CHARGE D'AFFAIRES,
Inspector-General of Customs Peking, 12th May, 1899. Bir-I have the honour to acknowledge your communication of the 27th April concerning Steam Navigation Inland.
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T.G. of Customs.
H. O. Bax-Ironside, Esq., H.B.M. Chargé
d'Affaires, Peking.
THE STEAMBR COMPANIES TO:H,M.8. CHARGE D'AFFAIRES.
Hongkong, 17th June. 1899. Sir, We have the honour to soknowledge the receipt of your despatches of the 27th April and 17th May, which, with enclosures, reached us through the medium of H.B.M. Consul at Canton.
It is with much disappointment that we infer from your despatch that you do not propose to- take any steps and that you think it well in the meanwhile to concur in the interpretation placed by Sir Robert Hart on the Rules and Regula- tions for Inland Steam Navigation in China, and that the system should be given due time
to afford a fair test of its merits.
If the Rules and Regulations as interpreted o by Sir R. Hart could be regarded as in any respect satisfactory, or if they gave fair promise of eventually meeting the requirements of the West River navigation and trade, we would readily assent to your suggestion that they should have a trial to test their merita, but there can be no hope of eventual satisfaction with a system which seriously impairs the value of the original concession.
We have carefully read the letter from Sir Robert Hart which you have been good enough to forward and while admitting that his views are important on the working of Rules and Regulations which he himself has drawn up, we take exception to the interpretation given them. The difficulty with which the Inspector: General was confronted was, we readily admit, a very serious one, for he had the choice of coming into conflict with the interesta of the Provincial authorities in the matter of revenus
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on the one hand, and on the other the necessity of so constructing the Rules and Regulations as to render their working in no respect inimi- H oal to the Provincial system of revenue. adopted the latter course, with the result that the value of the Inland Navigation concession has been affected to an extent which manifestly · could not have been contempleted by the British Minister at the time of its negotiation. The s memorandum which we previously forwarded to you afforded full information of the effects of the Rules and Regulations as now worked, andư we do not deem it necessary to supplement them, but we would beg to point out that the trade between Hongkong and the Treaty porta-1. on the Weat River, and between the Treaty porta themselves, is not of sufficient volume to allow of steamers being run profitably, but with-- liberty to call at way ports, ie. inland places, permission for which has been withdrawn since we addressed Sir Claude MacDonald on the 28th March, the increased traffic would in time probably be remunerative. The pioneer steamers which are now running cannot “ cover their expenses und r existing conditions,~- and others specially constructed for the trade which are now leaving the builders' hands, and * again others which have just been contracted" for, had better not have been ordered. -
2 When the, Ministers of the Yamen ori ginally decided to memorialize for authority to open the inland waters to steam the idea was simply to permit steamers to do what junks and bosts du subject to the same inland obarges, but when the privilege was extended to include foreign flag steamers some modifications were introduced in the rules first drafted. While the object of these modifications was to secure for
In view of the foregoing, we venture to again the foreigners concerned the benefit of certain treaty, stipulations therewith connected, their
seek you good offices in the hope that you will be able to bring about a more practicable con- stest has been to create difficulty for the scheme generally, for, whereas the original plan was to 4.-As regards the rules and regulations struction of the Rules and Regulations as they"> apply inland local, regulations in all their in- promised in rule 7 of the regulations and clause affect Navigation on the West River, which as tegrity to steamers as well as junks, and, by 8 of the supplementary rules, there has been already mentioned, cannot be said to have been
protecting the revenue, insure the support such consultation, and much passing and re-opened to trade in the sense contemplated by m provincial officials, the introduction of passing of draft rules for consideration, bat up Sir Claude MacDonald and understood by the reaty element necessitates an exceptional to the present none have been issued for publica- public at large. We have the honour to beli dare which interferes with former prac- tion; and as for the appointment of the pro-air, your most obedient servants. ige makes, taxation more difficult, tempts vincial officers referred to in clause 9 of the Chinese owners to buy foreign flags, and alarms rules, such appointments are to follow publics. and alienates both the inland authorities res-tion and have not yet been announced. It is pensible for, and inland administration depend- ent on, Finland revenue. The very sanctioning of the modification referred to created a neces- sity for strictness in interpreting the other parts of the inland steam, privilege, and socord.
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hardly likely that this delay has caused either inconvenience or damage, seeing that it has not taken from or interfered with the enjoy ment of any existing rights, and that foreign capital is neither known nor expected to be
JARDINE, MATHESON & Compl
General Managers, Indo China - 8.N./
Co., Là.
Butterfield & SWIBMAN Agents, China Navigation Company, Ld.“
THOS. ARNOLD, Secretary, H'kong, Canton & Macson
ED. Con Lu