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Kweichow. The English names of the sons referred to, Mr. Scott says, are quite unknown to him.
A SPECIAL TELEGRAM FROM THE PRINCIPAL BUREAU OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, KWEIYANG, TO THE BRITISH CONSUL-GENERAL, CANTON.
KWEIYANG, 14th September.
The American and English missionaries of Hing-yi, Liu Feng-chun and others, in all two men and one woman, are returning to their native countries by way of Szechuan, They have now arrived at the capital of Kweichow. On the 16th September they will leave for Chungking. In addition to telegraphing to the Taotai of Tung-kuan in Szechuan to assist and protect them, they will, in accordance with the regulations, be safely escorted beyond the frontiers of this Province.
FATAL EXPLOSION AT TUNGCHOW -OFFICIAL TELEGRAM.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
"Wherever the use of native boats is now by Treaty permitted to Foreigners they shall equally be permitted to employ steamers or steam launches" (Sir Claude Macdonald to Lord Salisbury).
"British ships shall carry British goods to every riverside town
in China." (Hen. G. N. Curzon in House of Commons).
"The aim of the original Concession, which was to allow foreign merchants to use steam vessels for conveyance of goods in the interior in
hitherto been allowed places where they have
to use native boats." (Mr. Bax Ironside to Hongkong Shipping
We received on Thursday from Government House the following copy of a telegram from General Sir A. Gaselee, dated 17th Septem-Companies, 24th
ber:-
Regret to report following casualties in accidental explosion of gunpowder at Tung- chow yesterday evening
Chinese Regt., Capt. Hill, recovery hope- ful.
R.W.F.and [? dead] Privates 5,009 Matim, 5,077 Haddow; dangerously, 4,566 Corporal Hughes, 4,137 Private Wogan, 1,661 Jones, 3,953 Private Covs; severe, 4,723 Private Hughes; slight, Privates 5,177 Gilbort, 5,082 Highfield.
First Chinese Regt., Rank and File, four dead, 7 injured.
1st Sikhs, Rank and File, dead nine, in- jured two.
7th Bengal Infantry, one man dead, one native officer and two men injured.
THE CIRCUMLOCUTION OFFICE ON INLAND NAVIGATION.
["It being one of the principles of the Circumlocu- tion Office never on any account whatever to give a straightforward answer."-Charles Dickens.]
In view of any possible inclination on the part of our Government once more to accept and rely on Chinese promises, it is well that the public should know the manner in which they have been juggled out of their rights with past concessions. We publish below some Ex- tracts from the Blue Books and other sources, showing the contradictory statements made from time to time by the Government on the opening of Inland Waters-an opening which our local Chamber of Commerce justly charac- terised as a hopeless sham.
1!
August, 1899, Blue Book 1900, P. 338).
We
Foreigners have the right to take goods into hina either by paying taxation en route or commuting it for a lump sum. presume Mr. Bax Ironside will concede that in doing so he has the right to employ native boats to carry the cargo in. This, then, is plainly a case where the foreigner
used native boats and hence should, according to Mr. Bax Ironside's own showing, be allowed to use steam. That he cannot under existing regulations do this is patent to the recent action of everyone familiar with
the Customs authorities." Press, 4th November, 1899).
(Daily
Foreigners have the right by Treaty to send a native boat from Canton up the West River to Yunnan or from Shanghai up the Yangtze into the Poyang or Tungting Lakes, taking goods for any and all places en route.
The Customs refuse to allow steamers to do this.
The Concession is reduced to this. A tradesman in an English town may supply Nos. 1 and 20 situated at the respective ends of a street by a van driven through that street. If, however, he has customers in the intervening houses he
"Plying fromTreaty Ports would impede purely local traffic. Sir Claude erased 'plying from Treaty ports' because, as he said, June 3rd, 1898: 'There are sections of the Upper Yangtsze and other rivers which are practically cut off from Treaty Ports by
rapids, &c., yet it might be found advantageous
to maintain steamers
on these sections."
"The publication of the local rules being, desirable and easily accomplished it is also
Claude provided for." (Sir Macdonald,
June 3rd, 1898).
<
As regards the publication of the Rules and Regulations in force at the several places where dues and duties
are payable, referred to in Rule 7
the publication is to take place before the end of this Chinese Year." (i.e. 1898).
"The provincial authorities will appoint at each Treaty | Port а responsible officer who will collect on provincial account the dues and duties on goods going to or coming from inland waters."
•
The officer appointed will have an office in the vicinity of the Customs House." (Supplementary Rules, Inland Navigation).
"The publication of the Lekin Tariff Regulations, asked for in the Shipping Companies' letter of the 28th March last, should of course be insisted on without delay; but it would appear from Mr. Mansfield's comments that it is actually
must transfer his goods to another van at whichever end of the street he pleases (he has that option) and after supplying Nos. 2 to 19 from that end and that van only he must return the way he entered, and on no account must he visit or pass the last house under at the other end with | his second van."(Consul Hosie, Wuchow Trade Report 1898).
The words ' not being vessels of sea going type' are added in reference to steamers.'
11
Compare these Statements of June 3rd, 1898
with these, made subsequently "There is no necessity for, the insertion of the word 'small. The size of the steamers may safely be left to be decided by the necessities navigation for requirements of trade. This interpretation of the word 'inland' is introduced to cover
of the
Sir Claude Macdonald to Lord Salisbury, 11th June, 1898. Blue Book No. 1, 1899, p. 174. "I recalled the history of the Concession. Although it was ostensibly a promise freely given by China, it was, as their Excellencies knew, made at the request of Her Majesty's Government at a time when Great Britain had strong reasons for feeling that on account of our vastly preponderating shipping and trade interests Great Britain was the country most concerned in the new departure.
"To give an instance of the species of objection I was bound to make, I told the Ministers that I had heard from outside sources that the new Regulations restricted the concession to Treaty port provinces. Now, the original announce-places ment made to me contained no such restriction. coasts without It said that 'wherever the use of native boats possibility of doubt." is now by Treaty permitted to foreigners, they (Sir Claude Macdonald, shall equally be permitted to employ steamers Blue Book 1899, p. or steam launches, and if this very distinct 77). promise were restricted I would be forced to object most emphatically.
"In addition I yesterday sent the Ministers a letter embodying the substance of your Lord- ship's telegram of the 6th June, in which, I was instructed to make it clearly understood that Her Majesty's Government would insist on satisfactory regulations."
оп
the
sea
&
44
The Chinese Authorities contended that some definition of the type of steamer seemed necessary not for the purely inland but to navigation
the prevent
undue extension of what was intended to be inland trade' to distant places along the coast not opened to international trade. The words 'not being vessels of ย seagoing type' were accordingly added to Regulation II. (Mr. Bax Ironside to Lord Salisbury, May 25th, 1899.
|
way. (Observations by Mr. G, Jamieson at Lord Salisbury's request, 8th August, 1899).
Cargo shipped on native boats to be towed by steamers is to be on the same footing as regards duty payment as steamer's (Clause 5 Sup. plementary Rules).
K
cargo.'
[September 22, 1900.
"
was
The main idea of the Concession that foreign steamers could ply from a Treaty Port to and from the interior.
"It was never intended by the regulations
that foreign steamers could pass into the interior and trade from place
to place for a certain time without coming back to their port of registry." (Sir Claude Macdonald, January, 1900).
Not published yet!
September, 1900. Not published yet!
Officer not appointed
yet!
Not done yet, nor is any attempt being made at the various Treaty ports to get it done!"
"The taxation of goods carried in these native vessels amounts by special arrangement to less than the duty and a half payable to the 1. M. Customs and coast trade naturally What preceeds will flows in this channel. suffice without further" These steam launches detail to suggest tow vessels not merely explanations of, and to inland places between reasons for, the ports but even to other restrictions. foreign treaty ports- merchants now privilege. denied to complain about, but in British steamers point of fact there is specially registered no differential under the Inland treatment; whatever Navigation icensed Chinese Regulations-and steamers can do inland, so far as I can gather foreign flag licensed there is no intention steamers can do also, on the part of the I.M. and whatever interport Customs to call upon foreign steamers them to register, or cannot do inland, treat them and the interport Chinese vessels towed by them
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