August 19, 1907.]
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT:
the
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instructions but no reply has yet bɔem received. the subject, we hope to publish the result of an In view of the conflicting statements made on ipdependent investigation of thsquestion în sa early imne.
CANTON.
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDÉNT.)
Sometime ago the Daily Press corresponde reported that it had been decided to raise a
foreign settlements of the East. All who | know anything of Sr. Coutinho d'Asɔved», the loan of $50,000 to rebuild the gaol, and he present Governor, have every confidence in his suggested that to pay the interest on this to promote the welfare of the Colony. Joan additional taxation would be necessary. This is not the oss, however. I understand General Branco, who is now in the Colony for that this loan has been arranged with
the purpose of reporting ou schemes for the the local Bank at 7 per cent, and that in improvement of the city and the improvement improvement of the harbour, the sanitary order to provide a fund for the payment of interest the Government have agreed to grant of the water supply may confidently count to the Seriado 40 per cent. of the proceeds Governor being given to all these projects. I upon the support of His Excellency the of the pig slaughtering fees instead of only 25 per cent, as heretofore. What I cannot under-gather that His Excellency does not entertain thess projets stand is the reason for raising a loan at all any idea that the execution o of ten times the amount of the loan. And what the Greek Calends. He looks forward to their | chased a large piece of land somewhere near when the budgets are showing annual surpluses may be postponed by the Home Government to regards funds it is the intention, I take it, to commencement at a reasonably erly date. As retain the annual surpluses instead of remitting them to Lisbon. The Government of Macso
is the matter with the Government of Macao, it it en -ot raise money at less than 7 per cent?
MACAO'S BALANCE SHEET.
The revenue of Masso for 1906-7 was estim it-
ed to amount to something over $1,400,000. A house lax of 10 per cent. produces about $38,00 the industrial taxes above discussed yield about $38,000 ; the opinm farm provides $350,000; the Fantan monopoly $450,000; other gambling monopolies ~ about $160,009. The Santa Casa Lottery pays 8 per cent. on the total value of the tickets issued each month. Four per cent. goes to the Government and the other four per cent: to the Santa Casa de Misericordis. There is besides these sources of revenus a voluntary policë tax paid by the Chinese business establish- ments yielding about £10 0: 0 a year.
F
ex.
the
The estimated expenditure for the same year was just below a million dollars. The besdings of expenditure cover general administration, revenus department, judicial department, Ealesiustio.l department (on which the penditure amounts to about $40,000 a year), the harbour department (†104,000), the military ($400,000) and other miscellaneous charges ino.uding a contribution of $6,000 to the Co ony of Timor. This fixed charge is some- times supplemented by further grants. The Colony of Macso also provides the greater part of the cost of maintaining the Portuguete Legation at Paking and Consulates in China and Japan. Until recently a Legation at Tokyo was also supported, but the Tokyo Légation baving been closed some reduction in expenses will naturally follow. The maintenance of the Legations and Consulates heretofore have been estimated to cost about $100,000 a year, and towards this expenditure the Home government has con- tributed $10,00; the Portuguese concession at Bangkok $4,000, and consular fees have pro- duced about $2,500-a total of 816,500, leavi g the Colony of Macao to provide the ba snoe, $89,50, or thereabouts. And yet the Estimates of the Colony for the year just concluded showed an estimated surplus of about half a million dollars.
It may here be added that there are grounds for expecting that the Government of Macao will presently be relieved of the fixed charge in aid of Timor and will be required to assist that Colony only in exceptional circumstances.
THE TRADE OF MACAO.
As a consequence of an exceptionally severe outbreak of plague in the first half of the year. followed as it has been by this agitation with regard to taxes, it has been inferred that the trade of the Colony has greatly suffered. It is gratifying to learn on the indisputable evidence of the Customs returns that there hau, despite these cistamstances, been a distinct improve meat both in the insportsandexports. The Import figures for the first half of this year amounted to Tis. 8,289,117, as compared with tle. 7,102,310 in the corresponding balf of last year. With regard to exports the returns to the end of June show this year a total of Tis. 7,833,951 as com- pared with Tis. 5,846,396 in the corresponding semeling of last year. The Import and Exports together show an improvement of more than three million t els as compared with last year's figures, which in eminently satisfactory.
It is admitted that during the plague scare there was a large exodus of Chinese from the Colony, but is declared that the returns of the harbour department show that the Chinese have gradually returned to the Colony and it is believed by the officials that the population is not now much below normal figures.
CONTEMPLATED PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS.
With good administration there is no reason why Macno sho ld not hold up its head among
may look forward for many years to these large surpluses unless important public works are harbour to that vessels drawing 16 feet of undertakeo. It is proposed to dredge the
water may enter the port at any time.
The inhabitants of Macao can scarcely be expected to feel very sanguine about the matter. strongly worded petition to the King of As I write J have before me a copy of a very Portugal on the subject, forwarded by the inhabitants of Macso in 1891 in which they complained of the complete indifference of the Home Government to the fature of the Colony. Here is a paragraph from that petition
2
August 8th.
AN OFFICIAL TO BS WATCHED. It is reported that some time ago the manager of a certain British firm here pur.
back, reach of the Canton Mears, Butterfield and Swire's godown on the assignment or perpetual lease was sent to the River. The
Poon Ya Magistracy for registration. Magis- trate Lsu Hing Tong declined to register, the deed and delayed the matter for several months. His excuse was that he had to make inquiries as to whether the land was within the treaty port limit. But there was no doubt that the property was within the treaty port limit. In the meantime Lisa wrote a dispatch to ex- that the Chines Government inten is to Viceroy Choa stating that he understood build up a new town in that locality
and should be permitted to pa chase la d there an
he did до 600 why foreigners thus reap all the benefit first and requested His
the result of their frequent appeals, make one argument by stating that the site selected for The petitioners, discouraged as they are by transfer of all land there. He supported his Excellency to issue an order probibiting_the
Majesty, more appeal to the magnanimity of your the new town is beyond the treaty port limit.
asking that
you will deign Viceroy Chon gave instructions to the Com to order that
the Government of this missioner of Customs to investigate and report province may be authorised-as we know they on the matter. The Commissioner recently have provision made in the budget for the purchase map of Canton, and he is unable to state whether more than once asked to apply the replied that he is not in pɔssession of a osetifləd of one or more dredgers-which are necessať?
the pice of land in question is within the tresty and to construct the works necessary to regulate to deepen the channel of the port of Ma030-port limit or not. Recently instructions were the currents (which have already been rendered stronger in the inner harbour by the construo tion of the Green Island embankment), and
more convenient season.' that other less urgent works be deferred to a
11
on the subject will meet with any more son- Whether the recommendations of Sr. Blanco sideration than the voluminous report of Sr, Adolpho Loureiro, an eminent engineer, who was sent out many years ago to report on the authority arrives for the commencement of subject, remains to be seen. The day the this work will certainly be a day of rejoicing in Macao.
not
oom-
Our Maoso correspondant, «nds us some com- Daily as from the Protector of Chinese and ments on the letter: which have appeared in the
from "An Enquirer" who made a number of professedly on the authority of the Colonial statements reflecting on our correspondent
from "Án Enquirer" our correspondent says Secretary of 8080. With regard to the letter that the writer of that letter evidestly knew nothing of the subject, or he would never have written as he did. Answering the state have ment that the taxes decided upon in 1887 respondent states that thousands of oopies been put in force, our oor- of the instructions and tables of industrial taxes have been distributed and a parison of the list will satisfy anyone
with the old taxes whether the charge of exaggeration or misrepresentation is honestly made. Our correspondent says that the statements made by "An Enquirar" on the alleged authority of the Colonial Secretary are contrary to the well-known and undisguised facts of the case, and he is unable to understand how anyone who discussed the matter with the Colonial decretary could write on the subject as “An Enquirer" has done. The new taxes have not only been published in the official Boletim, but they have been published in pamphlet form and distributed throughout the Colony. More over, placards relating to them have been posted dent suggests that we should show to everywhere about the city, and our correspon- Enquirer the copies he has sent to us. We
to
An
interested in the matter. are quite willing to show them to any one Our correspondent adds that no official notice, has yet been published cancelling the new cation. Many telegrams, he says, have be sent by the Government of Khoso to Libon saking for
given by the acting Viceroy Wa to the Director of the Ho Nam Reclamation_Department to investigate the matter. The Director replied that the property was outside of the boundary of the proposed new town locality. It in said that upon receipt of the abova auswer "His Excellency ordered the Poon Ya Magistrate delay. The Foon Ya Magistrato Lsu although to register the deed without any farther pro Chinese is said to be a very conservative official. Petitions are received by all the yameas by petitioners personally or by their attorney 1rom Viceroy and downward whether presented so long as they are properly written out and obopped by a “Ti Pao"." Magistrate Issu prefers to adopt the ancient rule that all petitions petitioners. It appears that instructions were must be handel in his ysmən personally by the given to his clerks to question all persons hand- petitioners and if not to refuse to accept their ng in petitions as to whether they are the
and women, have recently bea m les ed by the petitio ns and to beat them. Many people, men yamen runners and clerks in this way. The public are not satisfied with the unreasonable and cruel measures adopted by him.
FIRE AT WANCHAI.
Shortly after one o'clock Friday morning a fire occurred in a general store at No. 21 rays East, under somewhat peculiar circum- stances. About that hour and for sometime, before rain had been falling heavily, so heavily that the uneven pavement before this shop was flooded, and it was not long before the water in the shop was ankle deep. This the owner discovered, and jumping out of bad decided to look round and see if his stock was damaged. oil is kept in a well sank into the floor. Con- This shop is licensed to sell kerosene, and the sequently when the water flooded the floor
it got into the well and the oil rose to the
surface. The storekeeper in examining his goods struck a match and when it had nearly barned down throw it away. Immediately there was a big blase and not many minutes elapsed before the building was gutted. The Wanchai section of the brigade arrived on the cene shortly after the alarm, being followed by the firemen from the Central, but all ware: too late to be of any assistance. The stock in the shop was valued at $700, and there wor
ingersmos.