eFbary10,n
to occupy.
1902.)
ex-
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
TIENTSIN.
THE WEATHER.
Tientsin, 20th January.
A spell of unseasonably fine genial weather is the chief feature of the last week. The ice on the ponds is all in a state of honeycomb, and the Tientsin Reach of the Peiho is as open as in summer.
Folk are talking nonsense and pre- dicting an early spring, as if Boreas had not yet time to blow and annoy. There are yet two fine invigorating months to come before we can even talk of spring.
THE ROBBERY
The
quite out-
at the Astor House wash-houses has, I see, caused a lot of misapprehension in the south as to the insecurity of foreign Tientsin. whole thing has been written up out of all proper perspective. and has given wholly The big hotel has wrong impressions. adobe-built laundry premises side the Settlement, beyond the Mud Wall; a gang of native thieves entered these the night after the head washerman had got his monthly settlement, hoping to relieve him of a known $300. He had happily paid his men and consequently had only $167 in hand. This the rascals took; they also helped themselves to some of the man's clothing and a quantity of the Hotel linen and got clean off. They came in force, 31 in number, most of them armed and severely beat one of the coolies who offered resistance; this is the matter which has been wired all over China, and magnified into an importance it does not deserve.
publicly professed. Little gets out about offi cial interviews, but there have been several of them and relations bave reached such a stage that in common speech regarding them they are characterised as conferences on the French demand." If full credence be allowed official ontgivings or admissions, the French grievance is that patronage in departments of the Siamese government has not been confided to French direction; and the demand is that some depart- ments be turned over to the French. Every public department except that of the Navy has a Siamese chief, but administration is prac- tically foreign in some of them, the English managing education, finance, forests, and police, the Germans looking after railroads, posts and telegraphs, and Danes officering the Navy. Such foreigners as serve in the Department of Public Works are Italian. There are only a few of them, and they have not signified that they set much store by that employment. There is no government work more urgent than that relating to public works. The French seem ambitions to take charge of it. One of the demands is understood to be that the Italians be ousted and that the French be invited to officer that department and to ad- vance it to the prominence that it deserves Offices held by foreigners have habitually beru filled by invitation tended in Europe through Siamese Ministers at various capitals. While Italian architects and engineers may not be sp cially enamoured of assignment to Siam, a proposition that th
y be thrown out unceremoniously, after having been invited to cume, can hardly strike them as considerate. A retirement for the purpose of is under a big head of steam this winter, and change, as a political exigency, might doubtless Gordon Hall plays quito a great feature in the be arranged. If such a change carried with it lives of the foreigu residents. The A.D.C. nothing more than the extension to Frauce of has already given three entertainmen's-Our compliments like those paid to England. Regiment; a smoking concert, to which ladies Germany and Denmark, Siam might not
were for the first time admitted, and to the pause to bring it amicably about. When the programme of which they countributed, and a suggestion reaches the King in the form of variety entersinment which divided B demand, it may wel jog his memory between burnt-cork
and the well-known and his observation. Continued occupation farce Chiseling. All have been successful, of Siam's territory by French troops, disquiet-thongh there is some regret felt that the Corps ing reports from frontier points, the consular loes not have a more ambitious programme and registration scheme, which discloses the do something worthier of the ability of its ranks presenc of more than 9,000 French protégés in
than these bagatelles. Mr. Pinero's Magis this city alone, the Battombong incident, and
trale is now in rehearsal and we are promised
The Em the exceptional cordiality manifested between Dandy Dick for the spring races. the French and Russian legations point to pire Comedy and Vaudeville Company is here projects and activities that cannot be now, and had a great opening night on the 18th viewed with native composure. Moreover January. This is the first time in the history those in public service to whom plans of the Port that a troupe has had the courage of large political import are not confiled to come up in the winter, and is a great proof but whose solicitude for Siam would in- that the old time conditions of Tientsin life are duce suggestion, and possibly effective help radically changing. Unhappily, the ideals of otherwise. if they could keep reliably informed, the Company are not high, reaching only to or their counsel were invited, have no assurance that the so-called demands stop at a bid for administrative control of the public works. There can be no assurance in asy quarter that they will stop there, even if they go no further
ROW.
IS THERE A CRISIS AHEAD?
SOCIAL AMUSEMENT
was
the level of the Colonial Music all of third or fourth rate standing: por singing and good dancing are the chief features of the bill-of fare, though in common honesty it must be said that in Mr. Steve Adson they have an tremely clever and versatile comedian.
MR. ATKINS
ex-
has not been forgotten in the late festivities. The ladies and he are on the best of terms, and several excellent entertainments have been got up for his benefit at their initiative. I grieve to say that a gallaut fellow of the Royal Welsh, named Shephard, went under the ice at Tangku last week. They say that the p'ai-tze (sledge) coolie went into the hole after him, after assisting two others out. If this be true the action is heroic as it is all but certain death to go into a river ice-hole when the tide is running underneath the ice.
The case is usually hopeless, for even if there are holes lower down the unhappy man is drowned before he reaches them.
Above and beyond all possible speculation stands forth in view the fresh energy which French plans in regard to Siam have acquire since the arrival of the new Minister. Nothing so vigorous, bold, or comprehensive in European relations here las ever before commanded diplo- matic attention. The work in progress costs money, and French money is paying for it in expectation of course of benefits wholly French. There may be no rapidly approach ing crisis for Siam. Apprehension on that account has not been excited. If concrete official opinion may not be quoted, no trust is betrayed in saying that it regards the French purpose as shaped toward suzerain, if not toward sovereign, power in Siam. Russia has too much on hand elsewhere to be in a hurry, if she would. She may help with advice and assur- ances of support and wait for her pay, confident in the spring; it is deemed probable that there that she will get it with interest quite as soon
will be great reductions in the Allied Forces. she
may need it. When France shall have We Tientsin folk have still the greatest doubt tired of the toy of colonial empire, the Russian of the wisdom of this policy, though in many lap will be cutspread to receive it. This is the ways we should rejoice to see the military give present drift if signs are rightly read by trained place to the civil. There is very little real political observers here.
2.3
There are rumours flying about the East, says the N.-C. Daily News, of a coming amalgama tion of the British India and P. & Ŏ. Companies with Sir James L. Mackay, K.C.I.E., as
Chairman.
1
The Garrison is under the impression that there will be
GREAT CHANGES ALL ROUND
evidence, beyond the assurances of Yuan Shi- kai and the Peking bureaucracy, of real security for European life and property yet; and every- thing that the Allies now give up lessens the num- ber of warranties. The Chinese are especially making great efforts to get back Tientsin City and the Railway, no doubt on account of "face
103
The
as well as of administrative pickings. Tientsin Provisional Government's mandate is clearly not yet exhausted, and there are many things to be done in the way of public improve- ment which only it can do.
AS REGARDS THE RAILWAY,
there are bitter and wide-spread complaints, not as to its general administration, which is dis- tinctly good, but as to the preposterous tariff which the Military Administration has made. Their one aim seems to be a fine credit balance, to which, of course, there will be an official sequel in "honours." Instead of the wise, old- time policy of “ What can we do to create and develop a traffic ?" it now seems to be "What is the maximum freight these goods will bear p” "But don't you know that when the Chinese come back, and see that you have charged such high fares and freights with success to your- selves, they will want to do the same, and the influence on trade will be permanently bad?
; and
Oh! - bless the Chinese, and what they may do afterwards! We are here to run the Rail- way as we like. Why even as it is, the rates compare beautifully with those of India. You people don't know how well off you are this reference to India is supposed to be the last possible word on the subject. If in India it is so, why then, Bos locutus est. What can poor jackals in China know about anything? Mind you, these men are good administrators: it is only in their hopeless inability to see the larger issues involved in a bad fiscal policy that we
have fault to find with them.
THE ANNUAL MUNICIPAL MEETINGS
will be our next subject of public interest. Both of the British Concessions have made great progress during the year and the balance sheets, in each case, will show that we have already made good the financial leeway due to the reat S dition. The Municipal Extension, as the Junior Concession is called, already shows the respectable income of Tls. 13,000 in its second budget. For though it has been in existence for five years the Chin se had three, years' immunity from all taxation. Thero are many subjects of great and permanent public interest to be brought up this year. Concession will probably apply for some change in the suffrage clans's of the Land Regu lations, as the supply of good men for the duties which must be done is too small. So many landrenters are absentes, and the few others who are here are suh busy mea that it has become au absolut impossibility for the one or two men available to do the Municipal work unless their private interests are to suffer. -N.-C. Daily News.
NORTHERN NOTES.
The Senior
The following it ms are from the P. & T. Times of the 25th ult. :-
It is believed by many Chinese that Yu Hsien is still alive, and is in constant communi- cation with Tran and Tung Fahsiang.
We understand that Mr. H. Ijuin, the Japanese Consul at Tients n, has been promoted to the rank of Consul-Ceneral by recent orders from Tokyo.
We are assured that it is now absolutely certain
that the names of the Volunteers who did such good service during the Siege have been sent forward to the War Office.
A high official who was honoured by being allowed to kneel before the Dowager states that she wept bitterly when told of the changes in Tientsin, and used very unladylike language about Tuan and Kang Yi.
We regret to hear of the death of Corporal Woods of the Cheshire Regiment from pneu- monia at Tongshan, on Thursday, January 23rd. The deceased was detached for railway work. He was greatly esteemed by his comrades and colleagues.
The British Municipality has memorialised the Admiral through the proper intermediaries to place the surveying-ship Wuterwitch in Pei-ho waters this year. It is understood that
the Russian Admiral may be asked to co-operate, as he also has a surveying-vessel in the Far East
It is generally believed that the early Spring will witness a large reduction in the numbers of the garrison. Seventeen hundred men on the part of England, France and Germany and probably Japan, with a less number on the