*.
December 30 1905.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
A SHANGHAI POINT OF VIEW. the ground for the recent riot if they did not actually incite it. The Nanfangpao points with pride to the fact that the riot was the work of out- side rowdies and loafers, and that the Shanghai people did not smp thise with the movement This is partly true, and we should be proud if it were wholly true; for it would show that our fellow-residents do not look upou us as oppressors, and are perfectly satisfied with pur rule; and that they have too much sense to listen to those who have been trying to incite them to rise against us.
The N.-C. Daily News refers to some wild writing in the Nanfangpao, and says:-The whole article shows a very shallow and inade. quate knowledge of the facts. The writer treats the suggestion that the Mixed Court should be abolished altogether, as one that need not be seriously considered; he evidently had no idea how nearly the suggestion was carried out. He regards the Chefoo Agreement of 1878, which was never ratified by Great Britain, as having the force of a Treaty, while, it thd Mixed Court were established by treaty, by what right could the Taotai, who is after all only a subordinate official, open or close it at his will? Then the Nanfangpao insists that Chinese must be represented on the Municipal Council, a sheer impossibility as long as this remains a Foreign Settlement and threatens that if this concession is refused, the Chinese merchants and their guilds will remove to the Chinese Bund; though it is obvious that if they did not prefer living in the Foreign Settlement, even in their unrepresented condi- tion, they would never have left Nantao to come here. Our contemporary does not seem to realise that it is not as if trade was carried on here before foreigners came, and the Chinese merchants and bankers had remained from old custom. The present Foreign Settlement was only rice and cotton land when it was set apart for foreign residence. The Chiuese merchants and bankers came to the foreigners, not the foreigners to them, and the exclusion from the privilege of a seat on
the hard-st-worked unpaid Board in China will not be enough to cause any reasonable Chinese banker ur merchant to transfer his domicile to the Taotai's jurisdiction.
The case of the kidnappers was merely a pretext, and a very cleverly selected pretext, for it enlisted all the Cantonese sympathy for the widow of an official brutally arrested by the foreign police while harmlessly pursuing her way to Canton with fifteen young slave girls. The deliberate object of the officials and the students and the patriotic orators is not to vindicate their rights on the Foreign Settle- ments, because these rights were finally abandoned fifty years ago; but to recover for themselves the administration of this wealthy Settlement," of course it makes the Taotai's mouth water to see the Municipal Council collecting a revenue of over a million taels and a-half a year, of which he gets nothing. It is not merely unkind but it is unnatural. It is blatherskits for the Taotai to praise up the magistrate Kuan for maintaining against all odds the sovereign rights of China, when he knows that in the Foreign Settle- ment those rights are in abeyance, that for thirty years his predecessors have not been in a position to exercise the sovereign rights of China in request of nativos resident therein. He knows that he cannot argest fiue, or imprison any man without Conrufar warrant and judgmout, that no taxes of any kind (land-tax excepted; are payable to the Chinese Government within our borders, that he cannot post a proclamation | in our streets or bring a body of Chines troops through municipal limits without permission; he knows in fact this is a community under
foreign administration." Unfortunately to the new arrival from home, who knows nothing of oriental ways, these restrictions on China's sovereign rights seem unnecessary and huu:ilia- ting; he does not realise that we have been taught by hard experience to insist on this free. dom of action for our Settlement; that it is difficult enough for some three or four thousand of the ruling races to preservé order among four hundred thousand Chinese, and absolutely impossible if any interference on the part of the Chinese officials is not instantly opposed, and if the Council is not always on the watch. Unfortunately, the Chinese officials can always buy fl services of foreigners ready with specious arguments to urge that we are quite unnecessarily obdurate in our determination to extend our rights rather then yield an inch of what we have achieved by years of continuous vigilance and effort. There is no doubt that the wild talk of the magistrate and the Tao ai, their perverdrou of the facts of the fracas in the Mixed Court, and the arguments of the native Press in their support, prepared
MISCELLANEOUS.
Twenty-seven undesirables from Saigon and thirteen from the Straits Settlements were landed here yesterday and subsequently passed on to other ports.
The Eastern World says that the Finance Department has decided to dispose of the military notes in Manchuria through the Specia Bank. According to its plan the Bank is to establish branch offices at various places and to exchange the military notes with its bills payable at sight. Some 70 million yen worth of the military notes are said to be in circulation in Manchuria. this connection it is said that the Government contemplates to revise the law governing the Specie Bank so as to make Chinese eligible for its shareholders (and directors). If that is the case the much-talked-of establishment of a Japan-China Bauk will probably be dropped to
the ground.
In
The Hongkong correspondent of the N.-C. Daily News, discussing the forthe wing flower show, says: I fear they are missing the whole point of having a flower show here. They kerp talking of improving the vegetable supply, as if any trumpery prize they could offer could equal the market gardener's lust for good prices. The object ought to be to get everybody with a bit of ground or 2. ver andal to coax flowers to come there Not that ninch coaxing would is needed; it only means a little initial cost for seeds, a little attention in the WAY of watering and shading, and Hougkong would become a wouder of the world. It's built for it, a big natural greenhouse. Instead, the people buy from the Chinese a few pots of evergreen thinps that give no trouble and always look fresh !" I could weep for the wasted opportunity."
COMMERCIAL.
SILK.
Messrs. A. R. Burkill & Sons' Silk Circular, dated Shanghai, December 14th, 1907, states:-The home markets are firin. Gold Kiling is quoted in Loudon at 12-12. Raw Silk-Business is more or less at a standstill owing to the higher prigos asked and also to the advance in exchange rates. Yellow Silk:-A considerable business has bopn done in these. Steam Filatures --Fine sizes ar in some request, but we do not hear of any transactions for America. Hand Filatures.-A neglected. Waste Silk.-About 2,000 pìculs baye been sattled at:-Shanghai Long Waste Tia. 23-25 (whole bales), Filature Tussah Waste 50 per cent. Tls, 221. Honan Long Waste, Tls. 74. Szechuen Frisonets (common). Tls. 24 (whole bales).
|
CANTON, 16th l'ecember, 1965:—Long-reels. — The improvement reported in our last rapidly
"
465
Europe. Waste Silk-The country values have hardened in sympathy with the Raw Silk Market, and comparatively few transactions have taken place. Canton dealers have little stock on hand, and, being heavily engaged for forward contracts, they will not sell freely to arrive. Stock of Silk in Canton; 1,200 ba’ea.
SUGAR
Hoxoxoxo, 29th December.—A downward ten-
Do. Do.
dency continues, market being very dull. Shekloong, No. 1, White. $8.40 to $8.45pcl.
2, White...... 7.20 to 7.26 1, Brown...... 6.30 to 6.35 2, Brown...... 5.80 to No. 1, White. 8.00 to 2, White..... 7.10 tó
developed into a general movement, which has been uphold by the fall in exchange; about 3,000 bales were bought at irregular prices according to the crops. Local values jumped up $40/560 although little subsequent business has been done per picul, and have since remained steady,
at the advance. The finest sizes, filatures 18222, 20/24, 22/26 and "Natives ' 11/13, 13:15, 14/18 have all been eagerly enquired for; but they hate only met ready sellers for spot cargo, while holders are reluctant to accept contracts in 6th crop silk for forward deliveries. From sales made we quote: Fres. Kun Wa Lun 911 at from $825 to $810, Sun Yue Lun 9/11 at $835, Kai Lun Cheong 9/11 at $860, Wah Foung 9 11 at $850; Kai Sun Cheong 10/12 at $830, Hang Wo Cheong 10/12 at 820 le. ordre 11/13 and 13/15 from $780 to 1815; petit le. ordre 18/18 from $735 to $780; petit le. ordre 18/22 from $710 to $730; best 2ue, ordre 18/22 from $700 to $720; best 3ie, ordre 11/13,
3/15, 14/18 from $690 to $710. Short-reels 8 The American buyers only responded to tu European movement to a certain extent paying up to $795 for Kwong Wo Hing 14/16. It is worthy of note that "Extra Extra B " and "Extra A have been in good demand fo
Do.
Swatow,
#
5.45
8.10
Do.
7.15
Do. Do.
"
1, Brown...... 6.00 to
0.05
"
**
"
+
Z, Brown..... 5.60 to 5.65 Foochow Sugar Candy.. ....10.50 to 10.00 Shekloong
9.55 to 9.60 J
RICE.
HONGKONG, 29th December.-The prices are the same as when last reported. Saigon, Ordinary
J
"T
Siam,
Round, good quality. Long
$2.80 to $2.65 ......... 3.60 to 3.65 3.70 to 3.75
Field mill cleaned, No. 2 ...... 2.90 to 2.95 Garden.
No. 1...... 3.75 to 3.80 Whito,
. Fine Cargo
4.00 to 4.05 ............................. 4.20 to 4.25
Messrs. Wm. G. Hale & Co.'s Circular, dated, Saigon 15th December, 1905, states:-We have, no change to report in our market since our last advices.. Arrivals of New Grain from the interior are about 2/3,000 piculs daily, but we have no fresh transactions to. record in New Crop owing to high exchange.
We quote for November delivery.
No. 2 White sifted (trié) steam milled
(round)
No. 2 White unsifted (ordinairc) steam
milled (round)..
5% Cargo steam milled (round)
10% Cargo steam milled (round)
20
Cargo steam milled (round).
per picul
$3.40
83.10
$3.00
$2.90
* Prices according to terms and conditions,
OPIUM.
HONGKONG, 28th December,
Quotations are:- Allow'co net to 1 catty.
Malwa New
$1020 to
per pionl..
Malwa Old
.$1050 to
do.
Malwa Older
$1.100 to
do.
Malwa V. Old.
$1200
to
do.
Persian fine quality ...$1150
to
do.
Persian extra fine...
$1200 to
do.
$965 to
per chest.
$950 to
do.
Benares New Benares Old
$932) to
do.
.$915 to
do.
Patna Now
Parna Old
COAL.
Messrs. Hughes and Hough, in their Coal Report of Dec. 28th, state that 21 steamers are expected at Hongkong with a total of 92,400- tons of coal. Since December 14th 13 steamers have arrived with a total of 53,100 tons of coal. Quotations:-
Car-liff...
Australian
$15.00 $16.00 ex-ship, nominal. $9.50 $10.75 ex-ship, steady. Yuhari Lump...$12.00 nominal. Miiki Lump $11.00 to $12.00 steady. Moji Lump..... $9.00 to $1000 ex-ship steady. Akaike Lump... $9.75 to $10.25. steady. Bengal..... $8.75 to 3 9.25 steady.
-COTTON,
December-Fair business
Stock about 2,000 bales.
$18.00 to $19.00 per pol.
HONGKONG, 29th
Bengal(New), Rangoon y Market quiet. Bombay..
and Dacca
18.00 to 23.00
Shanghai and Japanesé... 26.00 to 27,00 Tungchow and Ningpo. 28.00 to 27.00
YARN.
13
#
JJ
Mr. 1'. Eduljee, in his Report dated Hongkong 29th December, says --- -As mal at the end of the season we give below a brief summary of the trade during the past twelve months.
Imports to Hongkong amount to 388,696 bales as against 212,605, in 1004, showing an increase of 50 per cent. Sales on the other hand, have not kept pace with receipts, 147,617 bales only changing bands is against 145,410 bales last year. This may be accounted for by the dull and drag- ging condition of the up-country markets during the first half of the year, and but for the mani- pulations of some of our large native operators, and occasional assistance from Shanghai, a much smaller business would have had to be recorded.