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March 3, 1900.}
MANILA.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
MANILA, 21st February.
REFORM IN THE CIVIL AND COMMERCIAL CODES.~BUSINESS MEN COMMUNICATE
WITH WASHINGTON.—SOME INCON-
ITH
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· CHINA OVERLAND TRALE REPORT.
business man. As a prominent merchant told me to-day "You never know just where you are or just when a bill will be presented to you; just as soon as a person settles down to arrange his shipments and believes that he is finished with all departments, an extra charge of some kind is sure to pop up and upset calculations. It is these little things that make all the trouble."
FURTHER DETAILS OF THE
FRONTIER OUTRAGE,
BISTENCIES AND YEXATIONS, After more than a year of endless discussion and daily complaints, matters seem to be coming to a head on the question of the present civil and commercial codes. The American Cham-
We regret to report, says the Rangoon Gazette, ber of Commerce has been most active in agitat-that a very serious outrage was perpetrated on ing these important questions and a few days the 9th instant, Major Kiddle, R. A. M. C., in ago a telegram, authorized by the principal medical charge of the British portion of the American merchants, was sent on to the Go- Burmo-Chinese Boundary Commission, and vernment Department at Washington. The Mr. A. B. Sutherland, Extra Assistant Com. communication asked for the substitution of missioner, on special duty with the Commission. American laws and also for an investigation of being killed, and Mr. G. J. L. Litton, Her the existing conditions and a hearing for the Majesty's Consul at Szumao, wounded. No merobants.
details have been received beyond the fact that the crime took place at Mongbem, which is not marked on any of the mas, but which is presum- ably in longitude 99-15 E. and 23-30 N. It is not stated by whom the attack was made, but there can be no doubt it was by the Las or Wild Was, who recently attacked Mr. Bag- shawe's railway survey party not far from Kunlong. Mr. Litton's injury is painful bat not dangerous. The bodies of Major Kiddle Scott, the British Commissioner, and General Liu, the Chinese Commissioner, are concerting measures for the punishment of the guilty par- ties.
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and Mr. Sutherland have been recovered. Mr.
As a matter of fact, the tariff and laws relat- ing thereto are in many cases so excessive and stringent that American goods are unable to compete with those of other countries, in spite of the circumstance that the islands are Ameri- can territory. In the Customs House and the godowns of a large importing firm there are to day thousands of cases of American canned pork ani beans, fruits and vegetables. They canuot be put on the marke as the duties place them be- yond the reach of the consumers. Goods of this class. the necssaries of life, are dutiable according to weight; thus several cans of pâté de foie gras can be landed for the same price as one can of tomatoes or, say, cheese, while the selling price Major Walter Kiddle was a few days short of the luxury is vastly larger than that of the 36 years of age and had nearly fourteen years necessary. Again the Spanish system now service in the Royal Army Medical Corps. operative is exceedingly limited in field, and Mr. A. B. Sutherland was thirty years of ave hundreds of articles are not enumerated, a state and had nearly eleven years' service. He was of affairs giving large opportunities for favori-appointed Inspector of Police in 1889 and three tism. I do not accuse the authorities of this, but it is a fact that when goods are not listed and therefore left to the discretion of the officer in charge there will always be grounds for com. plaint among importers. These conditions are exceedingly vexations, to say the least, and it is a common saying, though perhaps somewhat exaggerated, that a merchant of any nationality has a better opportunity to do business than an American business man.
AMERICANS LOOK FOR PREFERENCE, Naturally a large percentage of the Ameri- can business community look for a preference over foreign competitors, rather than to be placed at a dis dvantage. As it is at pre- sent, German and Chinese goods with lower rates of freight are cheaper to market than superior goods grown or mined and manufac- tured in the United States, simply on account of the duties.
years ago was appointed Extra Assistant Com- missioner. He had been stationed in the South ern Shan States for some time past and was attached to the Boundary Commmission as Po- litical Officer in November last.
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With regard to the Arst point, if yet dimoult; Count Matsukata says, to find anything very marked, either for good or ill, owing to the shortness of time since the Coinage Law came into force on 1st October, 1897; but he gives all available details. With regard to Formoss, the Count says that “much as it was desired to establish a pure and simple gold standard in the island, it was found impossible to do so in view of the great difficulty of changing the usages and customs of the Chinese population, and also because of the exceptionally close com- mercial relationship maintained between For- mosa and the mainland." Consequently the state of coinage there may, it is admitted, not as a disturbing factor in the successful working of gold monometallism in Japan.
Count Matsukata has produced a very clear and useful report. and the book has been well turned out by the Government Press.
HONGKONG.
The port of Garrison Adjutant at Capetown is vacant, and Captain Simonds, R.A., hâs been selected as the candidate from Hongkong.
The Hop, Robert Daly Ormsby has been elected to the office of honorary Treasurer of the St. John's Cathedral Churob Funds for 1900.
At the Magistracy on the 1st instant 19 men were brought before Mr. Gomperts for gam. bling. The previons uight Inspector Warnock and a party of police raided the third floor of 226, Hollywood Road, and found all the men engaged in gambling. One of them endeavoured to es cape by climbing up the verandah post on to the roof a very risky performance-where be was soonred by some police stationed there. The keeper of the place was fined $25 and the rest 83 each.
At the Magistracy on the 1st inst. Paul Pre- chear and Cheung Heung Fong were charged with stealing seven diamond rings, of the value of 8,200, the property of Messrs. J. Ul man and Co., of Queen's Road Central, between May and November of last year. The prisoners were formerly in the prosecutors' employ, one as assistant and the other as shroff When stock
was being taken a few days ago the rings were missed. Precheur subsequently admittted hav- ing stolen them and sold them to the other prisoner The case, was adjourned.
The following Press Note has been issued : Mr. Scott wires that on the 9th Major Kiddle, R.A.M.C., and Mr. Sutherland, Extra Assist ant Commissioner. who were on duty with the Boundary Commission. were murdered at Mon- At the Magistracy on the 23rd ult. Morits Frie- ghem. Mr. Litton, Consal for Szumao, whomann, landlord of the Land We Live In Hotel. also is on duty with the Commission, was Queen's Road, was fiued $10 for selling drink wounded. Mr. Litton's wound is painful but to a drunken person. P.C. Coplaud said that not savere. The bodies of Major Kiddle and at half-past eight on Tuesday night he was
Mr. Mr. Sutherland have been recovered.
on duty in Queen's Road with Lance-807- Scott wires that he will concert measures for geant Augus, when he saw two marines and punishment with General Liu. No further two Welsh Fusiliers go into the Land W. particulars have been received.
Live In Hotel. One of the marines waS drunk. He saw them go to the bar, call for four small beers, and drink it. The man who was intoxicated only drank part of his glass. As the man who was drunk was coming out Lance-sergeant Angus asked him if he had been served with beer, and he replied that he bad. The landlord was then called and admit- ted that the man was drunk. The evidence for the defence was that all the men walked up to the bar perfectly straight, and that the man alleged to be drank had only a soda-water.
JAPAN AND THE GOLD STANDARD.
Merchants complain bitterly against the un- just and inconsistent system of the duties. For Report on the Adoption of the Gold Standard in Instance the other day a man imported a num- Japan. By Count MATSUKATA MASAYOSHI, ber of American made iron and steel safes, the H.I.J.M.'s Minister of State for Finance, cost value of which was $1,700 Mexican cur- The Government Press, Tokio. rency. The duty amounted to 8810 Mexican THIS excellent report by Count Matenkata on currency, for it was levied according to weight. | the introduction into Japan of the single-stand- Should a person wish to it is possible to import ard monetary system gives a lucid account of 200 bicycles luxuries requiring skilled work- the steps which led up to so important an event, manship) and pay twenty-six times less duty; at the some time the bicycles could be sold accord- ing to market prices for many times the selling price of the safes. These examples are enough to show that things are not as they should be, and a reform is earnestly to be desired.
APANISH CIVIL CODE INADEQUATE.
The Spanish Civil Code is especially odions to persons accustomed to living under Ameri- can rule. In many ways it is not applicable to the American form of government and creates endless friction and misunderstand ing. The codes of procedure were bad even under the Spanish rule, and expensive and slow in operation. The whole system placed excessive power in the hands of a few officials, to the disadvantage of the citizens Mysterious transactions, long delays, and large and frequent bills seem to be the principal ele- ments; though if a person should devote his entire time and energy to civil departments he might find some redeeming features, but this sort of thing is not calculated to bring joy to the heart or cash to the pocket of the average
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from the system in vogue at the Restoration of Further particulars are to hand as to the fire 1868 (which had then been working for 260 which broke out at 23, Queen's Road West, and years); the New Coinage Law of 1871 which resulted in the death of a woman. The charred provided for the introduction of silver yen, equal body of the woman-Lenng Tai, aged 27—was in size and quality to the Mexican dollar which found after the fire had been got under by the were to be legal tenderonly in the treaty ports; firemen in the third cubicle of the first floor. the Imperial Ordinance of May, 17, making From the appearance of the body death was the silver dollar legal tender throughout Japan, apparently due to suffocation, as there were no side by side with the gold coins, and thus es- signs of any struggle. Lam Twoi Sing, A tabli-bing a double standard; the troubles in trader, identified the body as that of his wife. connection with the inconvertible paper money; He and his wife and daughter—a girl about the accession of Count Matsukata to the Port eight years of ag—were sleeping in the third folio of Finance in F81, followed by the sub-cubicle when he was awakened by his wife stitution of convertible for inconvertible paper and the introduction of a method of conjoint redemption of the notes of all the banks; the Bill of 1897, preparing for the adoption of the gold standard; down to the final establishment of this gold monometallic standard.
After giving fall details as to these steps in the work of reform, the report concludes with chapters on the effects of coinage reform upon the economic condition of Japan and on the monetary system of Formosa.
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shouting. He found the house was full of smoke. He picked up his daughter and ran downstairs with her into the street. He had great difficulty in getting downstairs, the smoke being so dense. When he got into the street be saw that the ground floor was in flames. Ho was under the impression that his wife' had gone downstairs before him, and when he found out that she was still in the house he tried to get back to her, but could not, as the smoke and flames were so thick.