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BRITISH OFFICERS AT CH'ANGSHA.
The N.-C. Daily News publishes the following letter from a native correspondent at Changsha, the provincial capital of Hunan
At about 8 o'clock on the evening of the 17th August, just about the time of the shutting of the city gates, it was reported to the Governor, the notoriously conservative Yü Lienshan, that a small British gunboat had arrived near the bund, outside the West gate, and that the British officers on board had stated their desire to enter the city that same night. As it is the fa-hion now-a-days for the high provincial authorities throughout the country to show cordial welcome for obvious reasons to all foreiguors who may call on them, the Governor and all those under him at once went out of the city to meet the British officers, who received a sainte of several vollies from a battalion of troops that came as escort to the Governor To this the British gunboat returned a salute of eleven gnus.
The British officers then informed Ts'ai Mu, expectant Taotai and com- missioner of the Hunan Bureau of Foreign Affairs, that they would call upon the city authorities when the former had entered Ch'angsha, whereupon Ts'ai Tuotai at once invited the visitors to take up their quarters at his Bureau.
Green and blue official sedan-chairs were then provided to carry the guests into the city and upon arrival at the Bureau of Foreign
Affairs Tsai Mn was informed that his visitors
desired to see the Governor next day on impor- tant business. On the morning of the next day at about 10 o'clock they were received by Gov. ernor Yu Lien-san, in his yamên, after which the three Principal Military Officers of Ch'ang. sha invited the British officers to an'entertain- ment and also personally accompanied the lutter to visit varions points of interest outside Ch'angsha, celebrated in Chinese history and Hong. The day concluded with a parade of the local troops of all arms before the visitors.
CORRESPONDENCE.
[We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
THE CHINA LEAGUE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.
London, 6th August. SIR,---I enclose copy of a letter addressed by the China League to Lord Lansdowne on the subject of the Tariff Revision in China. I trust you will think the subject of sufficient public interest to give the letter a place in your columns. As further and fuller information on the subject comes to hand the conviction is forced upon the China League that Lord Cranborne's 'statement of the result of the
negotiations in the Foreign Office Debate of 26th ult., is incomplete and misleading. The concessions obtained from the Chinese Imperial Government in return for increased Import Duties described by Lord Cranborne as “faci- litating the river approaches of the Peiho and the Yangtze," appear to be of more question- able value than might have been inferred from that statement. According to the Times correspondent in Peking (30th July) foreign interests in Shanghai are to be taxed for 20 years to provide ono half cost of improving the river approaches of the Yangtaze and Whang poo. So this so-called concession, instead of being a benefit componenting for the increased import duties, is intended to impose a further burdon on British trado and British interests at Shanghai. The inclusion in the 5 per cent. tariff of goods now on the free list will, if agreed to. form another contribution by for- eigners to the cost of a war enterod upon by the Chinese Government for their extermination —Yours, etc.,
A. R. BURKILL, Hon. Secretary, China League.
(Enclosure.)
2nd August. MY LORD,—On the 19th June, I had the honour of addressing your Lordship on behalf of the China League on the subject of raising
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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the Import Duties in China to an effective per cent., protesting against such an increase without compensating advantages to British Trade.
K
enough to assure the China League that the On the 25th June your Lordship was good assumption that it is proposed to agree to the 5 per cent. without obtaining any concessions increase in the Chinese Tariff to an effective in return is erroneous, and that the matter is now under consideration by the Representatives of the Powers at Peking."
On the 29th idem I was instructed by my Committee to thank your Lordship for this assurance, and further, to emphasise the League's contention that in the enjoyment of the rights conferred on British Traders by articles XXVIII of the Treaty of Tientsin, adequate compensation would be secured for the increase, in the duties.
Viscount Cranborne is reported in the Times to In the Foreign Office Debate of 26th July, have said : ---
(September:14, 1901.
from the Port of entry to an inland market without any further charge whatever. Not only has the British engagement been honestly fulälled but the justice of the claim now raised been conceded. by China to an effective 5 per cent. Tariff, has
It is notorious that the privileges conferred have been nullified by the Imperial Govern- on British Traders under Article XXVIII ment and systematically evaded by the local officials. At no time since the signing of the Treaty, have British traders enjoyed the privileges conferred by that Article.
The China League is strongly of opinion that the one appropriate, obvious and equi- table countervailing concession for the raising of the Import Tariff is an effective Transit Pass system as provided for in Article XXVIII of the Treaty of Tientsin.
In conclusion, I have the honour to draw your
Treaty of Tientsin. which, in the League's Lordship's attention to Article XXVI of the
opinion has an important bearing upon the "We have agreed that that (ie., Import present question. Reference, to the text of Tariff) shall be raised to the full 5 per cent.that article will show that in 1858 the in the interests of British Trade it would be date of the Nanking Treaty, having made but not unconditionally. We do not think that fall in values of certain goods since the reasonable to agree to raising of the duty except it advisable that the Tarif be revised, in return for certain concessions, and the form tariff revision, intended to restore a fair 5 per which these are to take is the facilitating the cent. rate, was by Treaty agreed upon by H. river approaches of the Peiho and the Yang M.'s Government and the Chinese. League taze."
is of opinion that, the conditions calling for revision to-day being identical, no alteration should be permitted to take place in the Tariff except by process of Treaty,
The China League considers it to be its duty to place on record its estimate of what H. M.'s Government hare given away and the value of the concessions obtained in return.
taels
A good authority places the increase in the Import Duties on the restoration of the Tariff to an effective 5 per cent. basis at 4,200,000
per annum (say roughly £700,000). The concessions obtained in return are limited to "the facilitating the river approaches of the Peiho and the Yangtse." Presumably au engagement on the part of the Imperial Govern ment to undertake this work.
Large sums of money are collected annually by the Imperial Maritime Customs as tonnage dnes. (The total in 1900 was Haikwan taels 481,000). In English ports such collections are devoted to the conservation of harbours and kindrod purposes.
As far back as 1867 the Chinese Imperial Government pledged itself, in a despatch dated 22nd April of that year, addressed to the Doyen of the Diplomatic Body, to set aside the tonnage dues charged on foreign shipping, regularly and permanently for certain objects calculated to improve the conditions of the shipping trade and of navigation.
For the past 35 years the Ministerial body in Peking, the Consular Authorities, the Chamber of Commerce and the Commercial Community in Shanghai have been urging on the Imperial Government the pressing need for conservancy work in the Yangtsze and the Whangpoo.
For 35 years nothing has been done by the Imperial Government towards improving the conditions of the approaches to the Yang tsze, Whangpoo and Paiho. During this period the tonnage dues have been persistently diverted from their proper and avowed uses and “want of funds" is now, as it was 35 years ago, the excuse of the Imperial Government for not carrying out work which it had agreed upon executing. With heavy indemnities to meet and almost every source of revenue pledged up to the hilt, it is not improbable that "want of funds" will for the next 5 years nullify the concession obtained by H.M.'s Government and for which Imports, (mainly British) are to be taxed an extra 4,700,000 tress per annum.
If modification of the Maritime duties is to result from negotiations conducted by H. M's Minister at Pekin, acting in concert with the |representatives of other (uncommercial) nations, the precedent must be fraught with grave danger. The Treaty of Tientsin provides in Article XXVII the recognised procedure which the League considers the only safe one for Tarin Revision.
I am instructed to inform your Lordship that the League is forwarding copies of this letter to certain Chambers of Commerce interested in the China Trade and to the Press.
To
I have the honour to be, MY LORD, Your obedient servant,
(Signed) A. R. BURKILL,
Hon. Secretary.
the Most Hou.
The MARQUIS of LANSDOWNE, K.G.,
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
A HONGKONG STREET NUISANCE. «
Putting pana
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
6th September. SIR-I believe I am right in thinking Hong- kong belongs to the English and is governed by English laws. I wish to ask:-Is there any means of curbing the tongues of the ricksha men and chairmen and also of preventing these men charging you? I have just come out of a barber's shop; immediately three rickshas and one chairman charged shouting “Hi, you, Hi— richsha, chair!" I pursue my way peaceably along the Queen's Road from both sides shouta of "Hi-ricksha want" till I reach the Bank.
The whole of theso hailings and shriekings are done with a view to annoy the foreigner--- no other reason whatever.
The outside of the Tram Station every morn- ing is Pandemonjam. Why cannot a police- man be stationed there to see the chairs keep to the proper side of the road, and that the coolies do not shout at every man that passes?
Yours, etc.,
AN ENGLISHMAN.
Whatever the Imperial Government may do in the matter of facilitating the river approaches
A despatch from Peking to London last. of the Peiho and the Yangtaze, the China month having stated that the Italian troops, Loaguo maintains that such a concession is jointly occupying the Summer Palace with the inadequate and inappropriate under the circum-British, had been behaving very badly and loot. stances.
The Tientsin Treaty contains two important commercial clauses equally binding on the signatories.
ing their section of the Palace, the following semi-oficial note was published at Rome on the 9th ult. —“The statements contained in a Pek- ing telegram, dated August 7, which has been By one, British Traders engage to pay to retransmitted here from London, are entirely the Imperial Government cortain specific duties | unfounded.” The Italian troops ordered home on Imports based on 5 per cent, ad, val.
left in the regular way.. It is absolutely untrus that the Italian troops mado depredations or caused damage of any kind in "the Imperial Palace.”
By the other, the Imperial Government engages to allow, on payment of a half-duty commutation, the free transit of foreign goods
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