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THE HONGKONG WEEKEY PRESS AND
general satisfaction in the Far East, for the foreign policy of President BooSEVELT, 30 far as it affects this part of the world, has adunitttedly been guided largely by the advice of Mr. Tarr. In the Philippines, among the American community, and, we believe, among the leading Filipinos there will be great rejoicing because the return of Mr. TAFT gives confidence that the needs of the islands will receive the most sympathetic consideration at his hands, for as the first Civil Governor of the islands, Mr. TAFT naturally takes a paternal interest in the development of the plans he initiated there. We feel confident that Mr. TAFT will in all respects prove worthy successor of President ROOSEVELT, and both probably will go down in history S a fearless, honest and far-seeing
For have
'cott movement is B well-known fact, When the boycott was decreed by the aguilds scores of shops in Chidatown which had hitherto carried stocks of Japanese goods managed in some way to rid them selves of them and have ever since ceased to stock them. Though we have noticed in the Japan papera from time to time paragraphs reporting that the boycott movement is dying out in South China, we have failed to discover the evidence in Hongkong or Canton justifying the statement. In both places there been firms and shopkeepers to whom the sacrifice on the altar of patriotism demanded of them by the guilds spelled insolvency, and one can quite understand that when such men have felt that they could not carry on their trade in open defiance of the guilds they have endeavoured to carry it on surreptitiously. In Canton that is a difficult matter. When such cases have been dis- covered the guilds have imposed upon the offending members very heavy fines which, however, it is apparently worth their while to pay rather than accept the alternative of ostracism by the guild. Yet we judge from the reports sent by our Canton or respondent from time to time that there must still be plenty of evidence in Canton that the boycott is not so strictly observed as the guilds could wish, and one might have looked for lawlessness there rather than in Hongkong. But the instigators chose unsuspecting Hongkong as a place to light the beacon which would show to the world that the boycott of Japanese products in South China is still rigorously enforced. To have carried out such an enterprise in Canton would have afforded Japan the excuse she needs for strengthening the diplomatic action she has already taken at Peking in the matter of the boycott. But in designing that this "flare up" should take place in Hongkong, and that the people should confine their attention exclusively to the offending Chinese shops, it is evident that the instigators bad been at pains to avoid giving Japan any opport- unity for stronger diplomatic action. We sincerely trust that the police may succeed in tracing the actual instigators of this lawlessness and put them in the way of getting the punishment they richly deserve.
THE NEW AMERICAN PRESIDENT.
administrators.
THE CANTON-HANKOW RAILWAY.
A
struction of the life thất tão was formed. Government was objected to three years ago with equk- vehetende. But the times invỡ changed and evidently the people of Kwangtung have changed with them, for the defaulting shareholders have manifested no consérh over the possibility of the employment of foreign capital, They are still deaf to appeals for payment of the second instaleinent aud the alternative pointed out by the Peking authorities has apparently evoked no protest.
801ue reason or other a change seems to have come over the spirit of the people's dream during the last few years and the prospect of the great trunk ne being constructed with the assistance of foreign capital seems now to be regarded with complaisance. It is plain that the Government does not intend to trüffer this work to be delayed. Time will dỡubtlen be allowed to see whether the Edict giving tb CHANG CHIB TUNG absolute control of the affairs of the railway will have the effect of encouraging the shareholders to pay the calls due on their shares. Hil Excellency has been given full power in the matter of raising funds for the railway, and
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assume from this that if the necessary hollers who have promised to provide them, funds are not forthcoming from the shang it will be within the competence of the Director-General to procure them from other sources. It has been estimated by a competent authority that the average cost of the permanent line, including rolling stook,
of the 720 miles between Canton and Han.
tbat
kow will be about $75,000 per mile, 'and 'st present it does not seem that one-fifth of is likely to be provided by the people of China who talked three years ago of furnishing the whole of the capital. Doubtless the new Director-General "will soon want to know definitely what possibil- ity there is of obtaining the funds imme- diately required, and, so far as one can see, now, the redemption of the line by the Government is a by no means unlikely event of the near future.
(Daily Press, November 5th.) The Edict published last week appointing Grand Councillor CHANG CHIR TUNG Director-General of the Canton-Hankow railway and vesting in him supreme control is probably a prelude to further interesting developments. It is probably, a8 our Canton correspondent has remarked, the first step towards the redemption of the line by the Chiuese Government. When a year ago Sir CHENTUNG LIANG CHANG, K.C.M.G., took charge as Director-General of the Kwantung portion of the railway it was hoped that under his wise and experienced control the dissensions among the shares holders would disappear and that all con- cerned would unite together to complete their share of this great inter-provincial railway. Such, unhappily, has not proved the case, but regardless of all attacks made upon his administration $ir CHENTUNG LIANG CHANG has made steady progress with the work. It is one of the noteable facts of public life in China that no man gets credit for honest administra- tion. When a few months ago the second instalment of the share capital full due THE MILITARY CONTRIBUTION only a small fraction of the amount was forthcoming, and the failure or refusal to pay was ascribed to the dissatisfaction of the shareholders with the administration, it being alleged that there had been a reckless- ness of expenditure which would make this one of the most expensive railway under takings in the world instead of, as it ought LIANG CHANG's reply to the criticisms to be, one of the cheapest. Sir CRENGTUNG threw a totally different light upon the figures and showed that his critics had but a very superfici knowledge of the Com. Pany's affairs. Nevertheless, not one tenth part of the second instalment of the share capital bas yet been paid up. Two months go His Excellency CHANG CHIH TONG was sending down telegrams from Peking of Mr. threat ning that if the second instalment on the shares were not promptly paid the of taking the line out of the Company's Government would consider the advisability
(Daily Press, November 5th.) PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT's successor at the White House is Mr. TAFT. The result of the elections must be a source of very great gratification to the retiring President firstly Because the return of Mr. TAFT by even larger majorities than were obtained by Mr. ROOSEVELT himself expresses in the most emphatic manner the nation's approval of the policies initiated by him; and secondly, because the return
TAT ensures the continuance of those policies and their extension. In his cam- paign addresses Mr. TAFT has announced emphatically his intention, if elected, to dévote all his energies "to prevail upon Congrees, to pass laws to clinch the ROOSEVELT policies." Mr. BRYAN has failed in' bis third attempt and must now recognise that his political theories can never secure for him the position he seeks. He has weakened rather than strengthened the Democratic party in the States, and sturdy old-time Democrats bare not hesitated to Amp Mr. BEYAN, without disparagement of his intellectual powers, as the greatest
hands.
1
QUESTION.
(Daily Press, 6th November.
SIB JOHN Ander‘on, Governor of the Straits Settlements, is evidently in full agreement with His Excellency the Go- vernor of Hongkong regarding the injustice
tribution. of the present incidence of the Military pon- "I cannot help thinking," "Bir JOHN ANDERSON has said in a dispatch to the Secretary of State, “that the system of fixing the military contribution according to the gross revenue is one which is not in the interests either of His Majesty's Sir Fax- Government or of the Colony." DEBICK Lugano, when referring to the military contribution in his Budget speech recently, very aptly mid that the incidence of this contribution does not fall, se Mr. in times of increased prosperity the CHAMBERLAIN desired it should, so that Colony should be able to devote a 'larger sum to its defence, and in times of fineéial difficulty it should contribute less.
that not one-tenth of the amount due on We believe our statement is correct the second instalment has been paid, though the money is more than three months over. due. The intimation given by H. E. CHANG CHIN TUNG that in the event of the Government taking the work out of the Company's hands foreign loaus would be raised to complete the line might have been expected to influence the dilatory or recalcitrant shareholders more effectually than any other argument, for it was with demagogue of the age. We can safely say the express intention of avoiding the em-position of the Colony. The onigor, l
ployment of foreign capital for the con-
of Mr. Tarr's election that it will give
In his dispatch to the Secretary of Stats the Governor of the Straits Bettlements pointed out, that the heavy debt-incuited by the Colony in connection with the acquisition of the Docks and Wharrod and the Harbour Works a course of construc tion, coupled with the ^serious falling offiti the opium revue had given, rask considerable apprehension as to the fing upon which the loan had to be railed m