276
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
was due to the postponement of the illumina- No opportunity has been allowed to pass of tions,
The vote was agreed to.
BONUS TO DR. IOWSON. The Governor recommended the Council to rote a sum of £200, being the amount of a bonus for good service proposed to be granted to Dr. J. A. Lowson, on his retirement through ill-health.
The CHAIRMAN read a letter with reference to this vote from the Secretary of Stale for the Colonies, who expressed his appreciation of the energy and der tion with which Dr. Lowson had served the Colony.
The recommendation was adopted.
HONORARIUM TO DR. Chung,
intervening in favour of British interests whenever representations seemed likely to be of any avail. The committee therefore feel that although they have not been much before the public, this branch of the Asso- ciation has been actively and continuously at work and has, with some amount of success, striven to fill the place which such Asso- ciation, with great in'erests, ought to take up. In this connection I might read you the follow- ing extract from a liter received only this morning from the Secretary of the Association in London; he says Not only have your protests been promptly forwarded to the Foreign Office, but we have evidence that The Governor recommended the Council to they have been acted upon." (Applause.) vote a sum of $50) as an honorarium to Dr.It, no coubt, has occurred to some of you to Chung King-Ue in consideration of the faithful wonder why a meeting of the Association wa services rendered by him to the Government not convened in Marel.. April to consider bir and the community as House Surgeon to the James Mackay's prosposals, but in the first place, Tung Wah Hospital, which services had been owing probably to a change in the Secretaryship terminated by serious sickness.
in London, we were not communicated with at the same time the Shanghai branch was, and when we were communicated with we had such a lesson before us in the absence of anything like unanimity in the northern port that your committee in the exercise of what they deemed a wise discretion refrained from adding to the general confusion, as, by that time, it was pretty plain to them that Sir James Mackay's ideas in one form or another held the field and that no better proposals had been or were likely to be brought forward. But, as the experience of the past has shown us, it will always be necessary for the British Government and British Govern- ment officia's to see that treaties are fulfilled in think a special word of thanks is due to Sir the spirit as well as apparently in the letter. I
James Mackay, who brought to bear a rich store of commercial intelligence and acumen on the necessarily difficult task of reconciling conflicting interests. In the report you will find
The CHAIRMAN stated that Dr. Chung had been obliged to retire owing to consumption: he was in poor circumstances and had a wife anl family; therefore the Council were asked to vote this comparatively small sum for his assistance:
The vote was approved.
VICTORIA GAOL,
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of $800 in aid of the vote of $3,603 for Fuel and Soap for Victoria Gaol."
This vote was also approved.
•
FIRE BRIGADE.
The Governor recommended the Council to
vote a sum of $4,100 in aid of the vote of 83,060, Repairs to Engines, Hose, &c., and Gratuities, Fire Brigade."
The CHAIRMAN mentioned that this vote was due to the large expenditure of coal used in the engines, tere being no water in the mains during the long water famine; and also for coolie hire in dragging the engines to the
scene of operations.
The vote was sanctioned.
THE GOVERNOR'S PEAK RESIDENCE.
The Governor recommended the Council to Tote a sum of $3,000 for the purchase of new fur.iture for "Mountain Lodge Government House for the current year.
The CHAIRMAN said this was a new house, and it was necessary to furnish it.
The vote was agreed to.
Hon. G. W. F. PLAYFAIR-Have you got beside you, sir, the totals of all these financial amounts from the beginning of the year, because I understand they are all extra on last year's estimates,
The CHAIRMAN-I have not got them beside
me.
Hon. G. W. F. PLAYFAIR-Can they be given to us at next meeting?
The CHAIRMAN—Yes. This was all the business.
THE CHINA ASSOCIATION,
HONGKONG BRANCH-ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of the members of the Hongkong Branch of the China Association was helt
on the 6th inst. in the Chamber of Commerce, City Hall. Hon. G. W. F. Playfair, chairman, presided, and there were also present Hon. C. S. Sharp, Hon. R. Shewan, Messrs. H. E. Tomkins, R. C. Wilcor, W. Poate, G. H. Medhurst (committee), C. Pember- ton (hon. secretary), A. J. David, E. Shellim, W. J. Saunders. F. Maitland, G. C. Anderson, J. R. Michael, Gershom Stewart, E. W. Mitchell and J. H. Lewis.
The HON. SECRETARY having read the notice calling the meeting,
The CHAIRMAN said-Gentlemen, before reading the report I may be permitted to pre- face it with a few remarks. Although this Branch of the Association has not been much in evidence to the general public and may thereby have given rise in some quarters to doub's as to its effectiveness or of its being of any service to British interests out here, I can assure you that it has, nevertheless, been con- stantly on the look-out (a reference to the appendix will prove this) and has been doing not a little work which can be more effectively done than if gone about in the full glare of publicity,
a well merited acknowled. ment of the service of
His Majesty's representative in Canton, Consul- General James Scott: it is satisfactory to record a welcome change in affairs. If British inter- ests in China had always been served by men of his type we would not have had so many a coach and four driven through our Tre lies until our diplomacy had become a byword and British merchants in China had almost suuk into the
apathy of despair of ever seeing British officials stand up for treaty rights and obligations. While the Consular officials may be termed the official watch dogs of British interests in China, this Association may be termed the unofficial watch dog to sound the alarm in case the official watch dogs have ben asleep or have not made their warnings sufficiently heard in London. The fact is, public opinion has to keep stirring up the Powers that be in order to get things put through and some help afforded to British trade against Chinese obstructiveness and exac- tion. The British merchant simply wants a fair field and no favour and that the British Government should stand by and see that he gets fair play. While on this subject we would like to express our pleasure at seeing the in- creasing number of M.P.'s who are making China and Chinese affairs a study and coming out here to see and hear for themselves so that they will be able to turn their knowledge to account in the House of Commons and prevent British interests being neglected as they so often have been in the past. It is only by un- ceasing vigilance and prompting that even the best Governments are kept up to the scratch. (Applause.)
of
The report is as follows: -
Owing to the unexpected and lamented death your late Chairman, Mr. J. J. Francis, K.C., in the autumn of 1901, no report was issued by this Branch of the Association for that year, but members were able to see the correspondence carried on, as it was published in the report of the London Association, copies of which were distributed in the spring. The committee in tend therefore to confine this review to the past twelve months.
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THE NEW COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH CHINA In the autumn of 1901 the Foreign Office made & rather unusual but commendable departure in the appointment of a well-known commercial man, Sir James Lyle Mackay, K.C.S.I., as Special Commissioner to negotiate the new Commercial Treaty with China, and although some adverse criticism was indulged
[October 11, 1902.
in and complaints made that an Indian experi- ence was not a necessary qualification for such a post, yet the committee think that the general consensus of opinion would now admit that be was amply qualified for the position, assisted as he was by one of the ablest of the Shanghai mercantile body and a most capable member of the Consular staff. Sir James Mackay speedily discovered that firmness combined with jufinite patience formed the most important requi-ite in the conduct of negotiations with Chinese officials. The ommissioner came to China with an open mind, and at once set himself diligently to work tu learn facts, find out com- mercial wants, and take the opinions of those on the spot most competent to expres: them. Having collected a mass of information and thoroughly posted himself on the various ques- tious affecting trade, he set to work to formulata a treaty which would free foreign trade from the restrictions that now hamper it, and by yielding a large revenue from au increased duty, also prove acceptable to the Chinese.. After much consideration, he accordingly pro- posed the abolition of lekin and all other inland taxation on foreign goods with certain modifica- tions in the taxation of native goods; the Imperial Maritime Customs to be allowed to collect in lieu thereof a surtax of one and a half times the import duty, making an estimated import duty of 12 per cent, instead of the 5 per cent, hitherto imposed. Cut of the surtax the provincial Governments are to receive com- pensation for the loss of lekin, the collection of which has always been costly and wasteful. If this arrangement be adhered to, the provincial administrations will certainly profit largely, fact, no attempt will be made to revive lekin and it is hoped that, in consideration of the
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auder another name.
It will, of course, be the duty of His Majesty's Consuls to jealously watch the course of affairs when the provisions of the Treaty come into force and to see that no attempt is made to nullify the abolition of this ancient exaction.
RELATIONS WITH THE LONDON' OFFICE. During the past y. ar a great deal of corres- pondence has been received and de patched, part of which is appended to this report. Much of it, however, is more or less confidential, and cannot therefore be published. but the file is open for the inspection of individual members. The Committee have not hesitated to urge, both by wire and by letter, upon the London Office of the Association the importance of making strong representations to the Foreign Office on various points, and they ha e ea on to think that such representations have proved more or less successful. In any case it se ms to the Committee that the Foreign Office have paid attention to matters urged by them through the Association in London.
TRANSFER OF COLLECTORATE OF NATIVE TO
FOREIGN CUSTOMS.
As will be seen by reference to the appendix, your Committee found it necessary to telegraph a strong protest against the delay of the Hoppo (or Superintendent of the Native Custome) at Canton in transferring the collectorate of these Customs dues to the Imperial Maritime Cus- tom-. The transfer has been effected since, with excellent results, the differential duties formerly accorded to junks having now ceused, and cargo which had been diverted from foreign steamers on the river now finding its way into normal channels.
ATTEMPTED INCREASE IN TAXES ON OPIUM.
In April last, the attempt by the Canton authorities to impose au additional tax on for- eign opium, amounting practically to an in- crease of 100 per cent., which was to come into operation in May, received the attention of the Committee, who addressed a strong protest by wire on the subject to the London Association. The result of this and other representations by the Chamber of Commerce and the opium hongs led to the introduction of the proposed tax being postponed until July. A further message was despatched to London by the Committee in August, and the question is still under con- sideration. Meantime some shipments of opium have been returned to Hongkong from Cautou and Swatow pending settlement of this imp rt- aut question. The action of the native authori ties at these two ports being a glaring violation of treaty stipulations, brought about for the time being a stoppage of the imports there of foreign opium. This serious infraction of