January 27, 1900.J
THE PROVINCE OF 8 ANTUNG.
ITS TRADE, POPULATION AND FUTURE PROSPECTS,
(Concluded.)
CAUSES OF POVERTY.
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at when we take into account the fact that a
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for the sick man of the Far East, no short path to success. Nothing but persistent effort will achieve the desired results.
SUPREME COURT.
19th January.
CRIMINAL SESSIONS.
A B
M. 0,'8.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR W. MEIGH Goodman (ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE).
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
be touched by the iron road," as the are, we know, plentifully endowed with buried Chinese call it, should be starting from the wealth. Coal, fron, silver, gelena, gold, copper, new port first of all. Wei Hsien (36 deg. 40 | asbestos, cinnabar, end mica are kuown to min. N.L., 119 deg. 10 min. E.). which, as exist, while at T'ebow-fu, it is said, diamonds said before, is the Clapham Junction of the have been found. All these lie merely awaiting province, then Tsing Chow-fu, the ancient the time when the development of the province capital, Chih Ch'wau, from which a branch line upon sound lines begins. Then, indeed, will That Shantung at present is a poor country mines of Poshan, a distance of less than twenty of Shantung. Secured against famine by the must run up the Laufa Valley to the coal fortune smile upon the poor balf-starved labourer it appears unnecessary to advance any further miles. Here are situated extensive potteries introduction of steam locomotion and with an proof. The Yellow River is an exceptional and glass manufacturies, which employ over bonest day's labour, with its accompanying finan- ' burden, but yet it does not effect more than 2 per cent, to 3 per cent. of the entire population. Youshing Hsien.
two-thirds of the population of Poshan and cial results, always open to him, the condition of The province suffers obviously from natural should pass by Tsonping, and theuce to the indeed be altered. But this is so widely known From Chih Ch'wan the line bis now miserable and wretched existence will and unpreventable causes such 88 locusts, capital, Tsinan-fu (36 deg. 50 min. N. lat. and understood that further comment upon my drought, excessive rains, bail and a succession of bad harvests. This poverty we can trace facts,' and briefly set forth the advantares of or commercial, may go, it will take many years 117 deg. E. long.). Now let me come to hard part is needless. No matter how things, political directly to causes physical, political and in this route. First of all sinan-fa is the Pro- of hard and conscientious work to bring abont dustrial, any one of which are in themselves sufficient to sap the life blood out of a homan
vincial Capital, and its trade is the largest. anything like desideratum not only in Shan- berug. The principal of these canses are, to my
The cities of Tsouping Tsing Chowfn and Weitung, but all over China. There is no panacea thinking, as follows, namely, physically the
Hsien ard all great bead centres of trade; they large extent of barren and unproductive moun surrounding districts is brought and sold and are the marts to which the produce of the tain soil and the very bad state of the public from which it is redistributed, and a traveller highways making distribution and exchange of has ocular evidence every day of the rast pas. commodities difficult. costly and slow. Couse- quently, the difficulty of emigration, thus mak- large retinu s and merchants) to and fro senger traffic (comprising officials with their iag land incredibly dear, and over populated in between these towns. In 1895 I was informed some places, and desolate and valueless in other by natives, rich and poor, that they would places. Politically, 'squeezing' by officialsdly use a train as a means of locomotion had and a general feeling of distrust, so disastrous they e, which, indeed. is not to be wondered in commercial undertakings, has much to d with the poverty of the province. As an instance of the ill-advised policy in one of these respects I was informed that nearly all the foreign goods sold in Ichow-fu came from either Tiger Head or Chefoo via Wei Hsien. thas involving an overland haul of from 700 or 1,100 l, whereas the great mart of Tsing Kiang'pu on the Grand Canal is distanced ouly 460 Li, and other ports on the same waterway. such as Yaowan and Taier chang, are only about 2001 li from Ichowfu. The local magis trate gives as the main cause of this anomalons fact that the cheapuess of water transportation is offset by the numerous and extortionate lekin squeeZAS ou the Grand Canal, there being no less than three large barriers and ten smailer ones between Chinking and Tsing- Kian'pu, a distance of about 36 li, so that it becomes cheaper to transport goods overland from Chefoo, where they get the advantage of steamer freight rates and a sing's bouest Cu - toms charge from the Imperial Maritime Cus- toms. At the larger of the three lekin bar- riers they charge eighty cash per 100 calties of eans, and the others frm 50 to 60 cash per 100 cafties. About the same rates are charged for cereals. except Kiang-nan rice. which is free. They could not tell me what is charged on imports, as foreign goods are
The foregoing figures are fairly representa rated according to p'iao-tze (bills of lading) mention that they only hold good in the spring tive of the Shantung freight rates; but I must furnished by the Imperial Maritime Customs The industrial cause to the hindrance of pros.
and autuma. During the rainy season and winter perity is, I think, that the people of Shautangcreased according to the exigencies of the wes
months they do not hold wood, but must be in. are almost wholly dependent upon the oil and agrionlture for their livelihood, and, consequently, when crops give ut disaster stares them in the face. Likewise their inability to manufacture anything, and their atter ignorance of me- chanics. Even their straw braid trade they are losing because they will not take the trouble to supply the market with braid up to their samples.
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journey occupying, say, two days with its accompanying necessary expenditure of money euhauced price of food could be performed in on hotel accommodation and consequently almost so many hours and at one quarter of the cast. The cosideration of time does not appear to appeal to these people. Now as to freight. I must mention the following facts which are conclusive as to the desira ility from every point of view of connecting the trade centres in this province by rail.
Kisochow, a distance of 70 English miles, 18 A. The freight rate from Wei Hsien to 7 large cash per catty. This is the Houg Cheng catty, equal to lbs. 125 avoirdupois. Thus for 1,600 catties-1 ton of 2,000 lbs.-we have a freight rate of 11,200 large cash, which in 1895 equalled about 811 Mexi an
B-From Wei Hsion to Tsing showfa-a dis tance of 40 English mile‹-the rate 18 5 larg cash per catty. This gives 8000 large cash. which at the rate above quoted, gave $ Mexican per too. Hence, from Tsing Chow-fa to Kiaochow, a distance 330 li or 110 Eazlish miles, the freight rate is $19 Mexican per|
ton.
FUTURE PROSPECTS.
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CONSPIRACY TO CHEAT AND DEFRAUD. Pung Hing Yan aud Pang Tak Ying came np for sentence. There were thre counts in the indictment, viz., (1) forging a deed with iug with intent fraudulently to obtain certain iutout to defrand (both prisoners); (2) personat- property (second prisoner); (2) conspiracy to ebeat and defraud (both prisoners).
Mr. Francis said the prisoners had pleaded' information filed by the Attorney-General guilty to the misdemeanour charged in the that they on the 24th of October, 1898, at Victoria. In this Colony unlawfully did amongst themselves conspire, combine, confederate, and acres together falsely and fraudulently to cheat and defraud one Pang Sai Chung of certain valuable property, to wit, the undivided moiety of and in a certain piece of ground and premises known and registered in the Land Office as action 1 of nlaud Lot 202.” He had to ap.
for hi、 most peal to bis Lordship u the defendants' behalf merciful consideration of the offence with which they had pleaded guilty ad to ask bis Lordship to infect upon them the lightest punishment he reasonably could in which the consideration of the circumstances out of
transaction arose. Mr. Francis onlled his Lordship's attention to the facts stated in the depositions and the affidavits which had been filed, snowing that the offence bad arisen out of some family dispute. Concluding,
cend to refer to the complainant in the case he observed that if his Lordship would coudes.
she would Bay that she was prepared to recom
referred to and which is to be constructed ther and roads The line which I have just will no doubt be coutinned to Tai An-fu and I'chow fu, and I believe the latter city is to be connected directly with Kiaochow ay, thus a and the prisoners to his Lordship's merciful circle will be formed. The towns situated more consideration. Under the circumstances she Way." The new open port at Tsing-tau, which meat, and he was sure his Lor ship would take to the west make the Grand anal their" Appian did not desire to press for any severe punish-
THE NECESSITY OF ROALS AND RAILWAYS,
is situatel at the entrance to Kinochow bay, has that into consideration. He would respectfully Let us now turn to the other side of the ques-speaking.
a very desirable location, and. geographically submit to his Lordship that, no mischief hav tion and take a glance at Shantung as it might favour and should become
the bay has everything in its ing actually been done, na! considering that and should be, and here it is necessary to state
a large commer the whole matter had arisen out of some family that every improvement is dependent upon two
cial port. Of course. money must be ex. trouble, he would see his way to indiot a fine pended and dredging at certain places The things, namely, the building of railways and the soundings, I may mention, are in some places in prison since their first arrest, and he thought insted of imprisonment. These men had been. reconstruction of the public highways upon a proper system. Without these innovations it which can
very uneven. Still the only thing to my mind bis Lordship could easily understand that men will always be impossible to revive trade, which
mar the success of our Germau in their position had suffered, and must nOCES- in some commodities is slowly but surely de- The gentleman with the brass buttons must punishment his Lordship might inflict upon friends' new colony is too much officialdom. sarily suffer, very severely, apart from any creasing, or to transport the mineral wealth of
not be too much en evidence. this province when its treasures are unearthed, only one who can wreck the new Far East their imprisonment during the past month," He is the them, in consequence of their public secusation A very brief and superficial geological survey of this country discovered to me coal of a first-
ern venture of the Fatherland. The Chinese | and their having openly in court had to confess authorities had class quality and in abundance, iron copper,
intended at some time | their offence. silver, gelana, asbestos and mica, the latter headquarters of the Pei ang Squadron, but said he regretted to say in this case that he to fortify Kiaochow bay and make it the The Hou. H. E. Pollock, for the prosecution, in vast deposits; bat just at present I shall the time never came. refrain from making further mention of these. ontside are very free from fogs, which is a penalty of the law for this misdemeanour. It The bay and waters must ask his Lordship to inflict the exteme Let it suffice to say that they are to be found. The route for the line of r ilay which I
mariners, who for was only in consideration of the fact that this surveyed in 1896, namely, from "Kisochow
mouths yearly experience this dreaded was more or less a family affair that he con- bay to Tsinanfu, is the very
enemy while ranging between Shanghai and | seuted not to go on with the first two charges, Chefoo. As to the untapped sources of wealth, but to accept his friend's plʊs of guilty On the hills, which are so unproductive when ¦ behalf of the defendants on the third charge. The points to viewed from the standpoint of the husbandman' At the same time, with all respect to his friend,
une now to
be constructed by German enterprise, and it will be paying one,
great consideration
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