76
thirds of the total sale of these was in Shanghai, The importation of cigarettes wasnearly doubled, with a noticeable falling off in the sale of the Japanese makes and more than a doubling of the trade with America and Great Britain. The large quantity of cigars came chiefly from Hongkong (doubtless from Manila), but there was a distinct falling off in the value tiken.
Great Britain supplies China with a small quantity of clocks and watches, the business in which was principally done with Japan (Tls. 270,527), France (Tis. 192.272), Germany (Ts. 99,336), and Europe, generally. Out of a net consumption value of Tls. 932 428 of these goods, Tientsin was-responsible for Tis. 318,787, and Shanghai Tls. 203,135. It was to Japan
China also that
went for her coal in 1905, 1,016,022 tons being received from that country out of a total import of 1,209 868 tons. Great Britain supplied 59.501 tous direct, and Hongkong transhipped 176,595 tons. Over 2,000,000 tons of coal were consumed at Shanghai.
Practically all the cutlery and electro-plated ware were imported from Europe. Great Britain supplied nearly half of the electrical materials and fittings. The largest quantity of flour came through Hongkong, although the United States sent 119,672 piculs direct, and Japan 73,012 picals. Great Britain was again prominent in the hardware department, supply ing.Tls. 347,973 worth ont of a total of Tis. 892,144. As we all are aware, Japan almost entirely supplied China with matches. Last year 21,421,753 gross were imported from Japan out of a total of 25,976,563 gross. The value of kerosene oil business done with the United States was Tls. 10,210,413, or little more than half of the import trade of this In the paper trade Japan product to China. did a slightly larger business than Great Britain-Tls. 256,501, against Tls 203,898, Lut the increase of this business as regards Great Britain was phenomenal, the value sont to China in 1904 being only Tls. 80,507.
Tls.
The table showing the value of railway plant and materials imported is particularly interest. ing. The total value imported was 7,346,636 against Tls. 6,046.459 the previous year, and of this Tls. 2,637,451 worth came Great from Belgium, Tls. 1,729,418 from Britain and Ils. 1,380,88 from Japan; the
United States and France also had a share in this business. The largest net consumption was in Tientsin district (Tls. 3,6.8,712) and in Hankow (Tls. 2,125,792), the figures for Shanghai being Tis, 955,713 against Tls, 33,436 the previous year.
ARMS AND THE POLICE.
METHOD IN THEIR UNREASON.
**
宁师
to
[August 6, 1906.
The Manchu rulers have also tried to ensur+ the purity of their race by forbidding inter- marriago. For over two centuries and a half they have kept up the struggle, but there have been recently signs of surrender to the insvi- table. Oue is the Dores of the Empress. Dowager, declaring that intermarriages would be permitted in future; of this the engagement of the son of the Mancha, Tieh-L'ang, to the daughter of the Viceroy of Chibli, who is a Honanese, was the outcome. So the order of the day is now am ilgamation. No doubt there will be some day Chinese families who will boast of their descent from thos who came in the train of the conqueror of Wa San-kuei. Another is the appointment of Chinese to posts to Bannermen restricted hitherto rigidly Tang Shao-yi, when sent to Tibst and India lo negotiate with Great Britain, was given the raak of Fa Tatang (Deputy Lieut. General), though he is a Cantonese; while Liu Yang- ch'ing, a native of Honan, was last year made a Deputy Lieutenant-General of the Binner organisation, which
THE HONGKON 1 WEEKLY PRESS AND conceivably find purchasers for his costly and artistic weapons among Chinese of the biser, sort, it is desirable from the police point of view that permission be first obtained, presumably to enable the police to issue warnings and make enquiries from time to time. At the time we referred to the matter, we mentioned the chopper as being a favourite weapon of the Chinese Hooligan, and asked if it were covered by the Ordinance. The answer is neither yes" nor "no". It all depends. The cook in the kitchen may wield a chopper all day long, and ignore the Captain Superintendent of Police and the Ordinance. But should he walk abroad
take the air ia the evening, he is earnestly enjoined to leave the chopper hanging on its hook in the kitchen. Before tiffin it is an implement of trade: after dinner it is a lethal weapon, which may not be carried without a police licence. What would happen to the cook taking his chopper to be ground in the afternoon our representative quite forgot to enquire: but we assume that, unless accompanied with a document recording police permission, he were wise to hide it under his blouse when passing a constable. But that again might lead to his master losing temporarily the services of an excellent cook; 80 we again appeal, with more confidence, in view of the legal uncertainties, for a constant exercise of that discretion which WA feel certain our police and magistrates ; YANGTZE SHIPPING COMPETITION. are so well able to dispaly. It is uncomfortable to feel that, in the enforcing of a well meaning piece of legislation, harmless and otherwise law-abiding folk are exposed to risk of mis
understanding and penalties.
THE PASSING OF THE MANCHU.
Mr. G. H. M. Playfair, of Foochow, has sent the following interesting letter to the North China Daily News :--
Sir, When one nation conquers another and appropriates its territory, there is usually one of three results. Either
(I.) The conquerors remain paramount and the conquered die away, as has been the case with the Maoris and Redskins; or
(II) The conquerors are absorbed into the mass of the conquered and lose their individ. nality, as happened to the invading Normans in England; or
(III) The two races persist side by side, as distinct as oil and witer; of which the English and the natives of Hindustan are an example.
There is a fourth case possible, viz., that the conquerors should assimilate the conquered. but of this history does not seem to supply an instance. -
The conquest of China by the Manchus appears to come under Class II. For many years the Manchu has been, for all practical We are glad to be able to announce, albeit
purposes, indistinguishable from the Chinese, somewhat late, that the cario" swords, con. but the dominaut race has s'riven to maintain fiscated from a Japanese dealer who was fined a distinction by artificial means. This was for possessing them without the permission of the creation of a privileged class, whd alone the Captain Superintendent of Police, were
were eligible for certain official posts, The returned to the owner when he applied for them. majority of appointments throughout the Such a benevolent form of confiscation appears Fmpire were open to Chinese and Bannerman to be a matter of" red tape" only; but the alike, but a number could be filled by Banner. main thing is that the owner got them back.
mon only. Such were the Tartar Generals in His chance of recovering the fine, we fear, is
most of the provinces; the Military Governors not so good. This announcement will not
and Lieutenant-Governors in Turkestan and Manchuria the altogether reassure those householders who have
Lieutenant-Generals and trophies of arms on their walls, so we may
Deputy Lieutenant-Generals of the Banner proceed now to inform them that we have made
organisation; the officials of the Mongolian enquiries in proper official quarters, and learn Superintendency and so OD. On the other that while they
in fact committing hand. are
Provincial Commanders-in-chief are a breach of the law, if they have not invariably Chinese. Besides the reserva- obtained police permission, they need betion of the above appointments for the under no great fear of molestation. If a posse of police should invade the drawing room or library, or wherever the krisses and rapiers more or less ornamentally bang, in search of opium, or gamblers, and such were found, then the possession of the trophies might aggravate their other offence or offences. Our readers may remember that in the face of a hard and fast Ordinance, designed to meet a specific was still room for danger, we held there
We take magisterial and police discretion. it that such discretion is actually displayed from day to day. Remembering the of the Japanese curio seller, however, we think it still desirable to plead for just a little more. The point seems to be that as a Japanese dealer in such things might
CASO
privileged class, there was also a tendency to give a preference to Bannermen in nominating to the higher provincial posts throughout the Empire.
I append a table showing the number of the higher posts in the provinces of China with the number of Banner-man incumbents at various epochs :-
Year.
Number of
Posts.
1878
537
1885
546
1895
560 551
1904
|
Number of Bannermen.
118
127
118 122
The ratio at these different dates remains fairly constant; on an average of every nine officials two belong to the dominant race.
•
W&S indeed a sigual incursion into the most sacred preserves of Bannermen.
Thes) are
very slight signs, but like the scanty trickle of water which shows there is a rift in the embankment of a reservoir they may indicate a coming cataclysm,
there ara
The Kobe Herald translates from the Osakı danki the following statement as to the pressat po ition of the rivalry between British, German and Japanese shipping firms for the shipping trade of the Yangtze:-The British and German steamers on the Yangtza service are rapidly increasing in number. There are now five vessels of Messrs. Butterfield and Swire, five belonging to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, three other British vessels, and three N.D.L. steamers, all running between Shanghai and Hankow. Most of them are of 2,500 or 3. 00 tons, only two or three being of 1,000 tons or below. Four O. S. K. and two N. Y. K stamers are engaged in severe competition with thee i vossels, while the N. Y. K, has also three vessels plying between Yokohama and Hankow, and the O.S. K. three between Osak› aud Hankow. In addition to the above-mentioned lines, the China Mer- chants' Company has five very gool steamers on the Yangtze service. In all, twenty-seveu British, German, Japanese and Chinese steamers are now taking part in the fight which is fa progress between Shanghai and Hankow. If the vessel on service between Yokohama and Osaka and Hankow are added, the number is raised to thirty-three. Moreover, on the service between Iching and Hankow two 0. 8. K. steamers, two belonging to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, two belonging to Messrs. Batterfield and Swire, and one run by the Chins Merchauts' Co. Between Hankow and Changsha, the Hunan Company has two vessels, and the China Merchants' Co. and Messrs. Butterfield and Swire have one each. Between Chiakiang and Nanchang there is one steamer, belonging to Messrs. Butterfield and Swire. Thus it will be seen that, altogether, eighteen British, sixteen Japanes», eight Chi- nese, and three German steamers ara in com- petition on the Yangtze services. But there are also a number of independent vessels which join in the competition from time to time. In consequence of this intense invalry, excessive rate cutting in the conveyance of passengers and cargo is being indulged in, to the great discomfort of all the companies concerned. At present the passenger fare between Shanghai and Hankow is only Y1.10, the lowest rate in the world for the distance. Such being the case, the amalgamation of the Yangtze services of the N.Y.K., U.S.K., and the Hunan Company has been proposed for the purpose of meeting the foreign competition. Owing to the conflicting interests of these companies, however, it is uncertain whether or not the proposal can be carried. But it is certain that some arrange- meat will have to be come to if the competition of the foreign firms is to be successfully encountered.
The Osaka Asahi also reproduces some statements made by a Japanese who has just returned from South China concerning the competition between the N. Y K. and the N. D. L. on the Swatow-Bangkok line.
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