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RAILWAYS IN CHINA.
(Daily Pr. a) 18th June) The jailgay, from ankow to Cauton, though now fairly out the region of the cloud, is likely to consume a long time in its constructi It seems from the account given Byfe Changsha corres- pondent of the N-C Daily News that there are eleven civil engineers (all Americans) now engaged on the survey of the sections of the line through unan. Six of these gentlemen were then divelling in a house- boat at Changsha, and had completed the first survey from that city to Lukon, south of Siangtan, and the maps for this stretch were also nearly completed. Another party of American engineers had made Yochow their basis and were working south towards Changsha, and their survey was also ap- proaching completion.The United States gunboat Villalobos recently paid a visit to Changsha, and had a pleasant stay there, meeting no manifestation of hostility from the populace. The Governor of the province seems to have made up his mind sternly to repress rowdyism, and this former centre of auti-foreign feeling np of anti-foreign liter- ature has become apparently reconciled to the inevitable. The correspondent quoted above, referring to the present attitude of the
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people, says:- Those of us who came to Hunan a few years ago to engage in the pioneer work of opening up the province are "astonished at the great change that is to be seen ou all sides. Hunan is pressing for- ward by leaps and bounds; one simply stands still wondering what will happen next. With fifty odd this ignaries in the pro- "vince, eleven enginers with a large staff accompanying them, the visits of English, German, and American gunboats, two fine large passenger river steamers making re- gular trips between Siangtan and Hankow, one does not feel as though he was in an interior province of China." The effect of this opening up of the province of Hunan to foreign trade and navigation and the near advent of the iron borse have evidently served to dissipate a great deal of the prejudice formerly felt by the Hunanese against foreign rs, which assumed such unpleasant and occasionally alarming demonstrations.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
ing Canton and Kowloon with the Yangtsze Valley will undoubtedly be the great artery of communication through China, as it will be continued to Peking, and will tap many of the greatest centres of population and production. We hope that the section uniting Canton with Kowloon, and thus bringing this artery of commerce to its sea- ward termination, will not be left to the last moment. It should really have been built long ago, as its construction would un- questionably have supplied a stimulus to the other portions of the line. It is certainly somewhat of a reflection on this British Colony that no effort has yet been made to provide this most important link to the chain of Chinese communications, and one which we trust will soon cease to exist. If the syndicates fail to make the line it should be assisted by the British Government, for it is obvious enough that other Powers are eager to strengthen their influence in this region.
(Daily Press, 19th June.)
Lord LANSDOWNE's statement in the House of Lords on Tuesday last should be hailed with rejoicing both here and in all parts of China where British residents dwell. It is a particular matter for satisfaction that we hear now of the views of the Govern- ment," for in the past it has generally been impossible to discover that the Government had any views at all with regard to Chinese affairs. When the Foreign Secretary, speak- ing on behalf on the Government, goes so far as to admit that Great Britain has serious cause for complaint at the manner in which China has dealt with applications for railway concessions and promises to remonstrate strongly, it is obvious that some influence bas been at work which bas really dispelled the mists of ignorance and indifference hitherto enveloping the policy of the home Government in the matter of China. We have the best of grounds for suspecting that much of this influence came from Sir ERNEST SATOW, who, as we know, went home partly for the express purpose of a conference with the Ministers in London and who is now returning to his post in Peking with full instructions to give energetic support to the "views of the Government."
Sir ERNEST SATOW is to be congratulated on deserving well of his country. Had his predecessors at Peking been diplomatists of the same stamp Britain might have been saved much of the bumiliation which her lately discarded policy in China has brought on her. In the hauds of His Majesty's present representa- tve at Peking the carrying out of a new and more worthy policy may be safely left.
Once more
But, of course, it is still not only the British Government which has been to
With regard to the failway, there can be no doubt it will exercise a poient effect in finally breaking up the seclusion which had been so long and jealousy preserved in Huuan. The only gret is that the work must necessarily progress so slowly. The survey has been befly successfully com- pleted, and work has actually been com- menced at the Canton end of the line, but there is much to be done before the construction can be pushed along_the Changsha scction It is not stated to what causes the delays are due, but it is blame for the backward ess of British obvious that they exist, anl cannot be railway enterprise in China compared with lightly overcome Railway work is not the energy of other nationals. As in other likely to be rapid in China even when lines of business, the slackness of British sanctioned by the press-Dowager and concessionaries is responsible too, if in a the Emperor K-WANG HU. There are many smaller degree, for the success of China's initial difficulties to surmounted, notab y opposition to the proposed schemes. It has arranging for the purchase and transfer of never been and is not now sufficient to the land; and when the work of building suggest a promising scheme, to ask China for embankments is comme cel the Chinese a concession, and to rest content with being have to be taught i of only how to construet put off, if not directly refused; it is not them, but they have to be prevented from enough even to overcome all obstacles and doing the work in the perfunctory manner
obtain the concession. It is nċessary to do so dear to the native heart. Bridge buil·l- more than, so to speak, sit calmly on the ing and tunnelling are also te ious when concession while other people are taking under aken by labourers and contractors theirs up with all possible vigour. A paper wholly unused to the work, and the patience concession may be an asset for the future, of the engineers must sometimes be greatly but it is not a present means of a-lvancing tried. In the end the permanent way British trade and prestige. is laid at last, nud a pioneer train is at should see is the British concessionaries at length set in motion. The line conuect-the front, developing the privileges which
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(June 20, 1903.
have been granted to them, and not waiting until all their rivals are beginning to reap the profits of their superior energy. In conclusion let us repent once more what we said yesterday. The line connecting "Canton and Kowloon with the Yangtsze Valley will undoubtedly by the great "artery
of communication throughout "China.
We hope that the section uniting Canton with Kowloon will not be "left to the last moment."
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CUSTOMS RETURNS: JANUARY- MARCII.
(Daily Press, 16th June.) The Customs Gazette for the three mouths January-March, 1908, which has just been issued at Shanghai, shows very satisfactory figures for the majority of the Chinese treaty ports. No less than twenty-three out of the list of thirty included manifest an improvement on last year. Only at Chungking, Ichang, Kiukiang, Kiungchow, Nanking, Pakhoi and Santuao are there declines, and at the two first-named this is due to the still decreasing amount of native opium passing through the Customs. Very notable advances are made by Newchwang (from 11,505 Hk. Tls, in 1902 to 74,143 Hk. Tls. in 1903), Chinwangtao, Kiaochau, Yochow, Wuhu, Shanghai, and Wenchow. In partial explanation of the remarkable Newchwang figures, it must be remembered that the port opened sooner than usual this year. The figures of Chinwangtao and Kiaochau are very interesting, both being new ports. Chinwangtao increased from 19,473 Hk. Tls. in 1902 (first year) to 53,724 this year; Kiaochau mounted from 21,625 Hk. Tls. in 1901, through 35,368 Hk. Tls. in 1902, to 74,713 Hk. Tls. in 1903. Yochow bounded from last year's 694 Hk. Tls. to this year's 12,147 Hk. Tis,, so that the reproach made in the Yochow Trade Report for 1901, that the possibilities of the port had as yet been left untried, seems now to be on the way to removal. Wuhu's figures for January-March this year are 274,001 Hk. Tls. against last year's 92,455, but that was a great falling off from the 200,388 Hk Tls. of 1901. Wenchow im- proved from 6,929 Hk. Tls. in 1902 to 12,043 Hk. Tls. in 1908. Shanghai rose from 1,811,456 Hk. Tls. to 2,419,582 Hk. Tls. Nor must Tientsin's advance from 255,523 Hk. Tls. to 308,857 Hk. Tls. in
1903 be overlooked. Canton, Samshui, Kongmoon, Kumchuk and Wuchow all showed small improvements. The total figures for the thirty ports in the last three years are:-1901, 4,361,337 Hk. Tls.; 1902, 5,110,785 İlk. Tls.; 1903, 6,346,257 Hk. Tls.
Taking the revenue under the separate heads there is an it crease in all except that of opium duty. Set out in tabular form, the following appears, the amounts being in Haikwan Taels :-
1901. 1902. 1903.
1,558,067 1,880,792 1,404,574 1.956.128 279,948 323,517
Import duty 851,257 Export duty 1847,940 Coast trade duty 194.065 Opium duty Tonnage dues Opium lekin
Transit does
727,743
468,026
529,478
143,482
173,085
219 621
247,298
3-0,678
143,082 953,763 918,335 1,119.495
Total 4361,337 5110,785 6,346,257 The details of these sources of revenue
are not yet available, the report not having reached Hongkong. The North-China Daily News, to the columns of which we ar indebted for the above figures, remarks that the increase in export duty is very satisfac tory, the financial stability of Chins depend- ing on her being able constantly increase