The question of meeting the enormous reduc- tion in the revenue of China which will result from the suppression of opium has recently been considered by the controllers of the Customs at Peking and it is proposed to tax all articles of luxury.
Shanghai papers record the death of Captain J. D. C. Arthur, a very popular member of the Shanghai Licensed Pilots' Association, who was also well known along the China, Australian and New Zealand coasts, where he traded for many years while in command of one of the Eastern and Australian Co.'s liners and one of Messrs. Butterfield and Swire's steamers.
Mr. W. B. Mason has consented to be the permanent secretary of the British Association of Japan. A prize fund has just been opened in connection with the Japanese Language Examination Scheme. It is hoped that the prizes offered to candidates passing the third stage under the conditions outlined in the ad- vertisements will prove an incentive to many Britishers to enter for these examinations, which were only commenced some six months ago. Mr. V. G. Bowden, after eight months' study, has already passed the required standard. The first prize out of the fund has therefore been awarded to him. There are now about
275 members of the Association. The Com- mittee elected at the annual meeting, held last month, is as follows: Chairman, Mr. F. G. Sale; Vice-Chairman, Mr. H. D. C. Jones; Hon, Treasurer, Mr. A. H. Cole Watson; Committee: Messrs. P. S Bent, A. J. Cornes L. J. Healing, J. Williantson Jones, C. K. Marshall Martin, and J. C. Ward.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY, PRESS AND.
The Dalai Lama, when he left Peking at 7.0 a.m. on the 21st. ult., was escorted to the station by many high officials. Amongst these were Prince Kung, H.E. Chang Ying Tang, H.E Ta Shou, the Comptroller of the Imperial Household, the Police Magistrate and a number of military officers. The Prince Regent, H.E. Chang Chih Tung, Prince Ching, H.E. Yuan Shih Kai, H.E. Shih Hsu, H.E. La Ch'uan Lin and other high officials sent him valuable presents, Mr. Rockhill, the Minister for the United States, called on the Dalai Lama
I
TRADE DEPRESSION IN ENGLAND.
January 9, 1909.
THE CALAMITY IN ITALY,
(Daily Press, 5th January,) · The telegraphic accounts describing the appalling calamity which has overtaken Southern Italy and Sicily go to show that, so far at least as the destruction of human · life is concerned, it is probably the worst disaster of the kind in history. Certainly the records of earthquake disasters since the Christian era began record none which equal the present disaster in this respect, if we must accept the estimates that the
contained.
The
great
raw material will naturally affect the export returns of December, so that it is fairly safe to conclude that the decline in the countr (Daily Press January 4th.).
foreign trade for the whole year will not be British trade and commerce, in common less than £110,000,000 or about 10 per with that of nearly every manufacturing cent. There is no difficulty in realising country, has suffered during the past twelve that this great slump in the trade of the months to an extent which may be said to be country has materially diminished the unprecedented. To the United Kingdom national revenue from the property aud being practically a free-trade country fncome tax, as well as from customs, and the must be ascribed the fact that the national present Government has made matters worss revenue has not been affected to a corres- by its Old Age Pensions and other measuree ponding extent. But severe economic which commit the country to increased depression naturally tells upon the sources expenditure. The returns from Excise also of revenue, whatever they may be. The have probably declined in view of the financial year in the United Kingdom Government's confiscatory proposals in the ends on the 31st March, and REUTER now defunct Licensing Bill. In all pro- informs us that for the nine months bability the deficit to be faced when the of the year that have elapsed the revenue Chancellor of the Exchequer comes to has fallen off by five million pounds ster- balance accounts at the end of the financial ling. That gives a monthly average of year will far exceed the amount of the about £550,000, so
that if this rate of decline in the revenue. decline continues the returns for the twelve months will show a loss of not less than seven millions sterling.. When we bear in mind the fact that the total revenue of the United Kingdom for 19 7-8 was estimated at £142,457,000 the decline in itself, though eufficiently serious, does not appear very alarming. The national income is derived mainly from excise, Customs, property and income tax, estate duty and the Post Office. In the absence of particulars we may safely assume that the decline has been mainly under the headings of property and income tax and customs. Down to the end of telegrams have November the foreign trade of the United earthquake of Yedo (Tokyo) in 1703, Kingdom for eleven months had shown a fall-involving a loss of life estimated at 200,000 ing off to the enormous extent of ninety-nine has hitherto figured in the records as the millions sterling-a reduction in the imports earthquake which involved the greatest loss equal to 9.07 per cent and in the exports of human life, and Peking has taken second to 11.60 per cent for the eleven months of place with 100,000 people "swallowed up
We can take comfort in the on the 20th instant and presented him the year. The articles contributing to the in 1731. with a porcelain jar and stand. The Board Customs revenue, however, are few, the fact
earthquakes attended with of Finance has reported to the Im-chief being tobacco and snuff, sugar &c., tea, disastrous consequences are happily rare in perial Household that the total amount wine, and exported coal, but these are all of China, which is regarded as outside the expended in connection with the visit of the them articles for which there is likely to be "earthquake zone."
But the past century Dalai Lama, including all presents. amounts to
a diminished demand in times of economic has furnished history with at least two bad about 200,000 Taels. The presents made to the Dalai Lama by the Throne are as follows:-8 depression. An abstract of the import and earthquakes in China that in Canton and Horses, 20,000 Taels, in cash; 8 pieces porcelain, export returns for those eleven months neighbourhood in 1830, when 6,000 persons 8 pieces glassware, 4 pieces fur, 16 pieces silk shows, for instance, that there has been a
were estimated to have perished, and that and about 150 pieces of edible delicacies. His decline of £1,222,597 under the heading ofhich occurred in Yunnan in 1888 when Combo have also been recipients of many "Other food and, drink "* which does not upwards of 4,000 persons were killed. presents. In returning thanks to the Throne include grain and flour or meat but covers Within the same period there have been he presented a golden "joss" which was all the articles paying import duty. Tobacco, two destructive earthquakes in Manila, one accepted. The Government has promised the it is interesting to note, is one of the few in 1863 causing immense destruction of Dalai Lama to see to the instruction of young students which he will send from Thibet at the items in the statement showing an increase. property and a loss of a thousand lives, beginning of the next year.
Besides this item, ships, grain and flour, and one in 1880 which, happily, was and textile materials (other than wool and not
disastrous in its effects. Captain Price's airship made an ascent at Shanghai on Christmas Day, but the N.C. cotton) are the only items in the whole The Netherlands Indies have had their Daily News says, misfortune dogged its path, summary which do not exhibit a decline share of these terrible visitations, but in: for almost immediately something went wrong when compared with the returns, for the the Far East the greatest sufferer has been with the engine and the airship became a mere corresponding period of 1907. The shrink- Japan, where "the oldest resident" could non-dirigible balloon. The wind carried it, at age in the exports has been almost general, compile a list of such disasters as have varying altitudes, in the direction of Woosung; the chief decline being in manufactured occurred in his own lifetime which would and ultimately the aeronaut was compelled to let out the gas and descended near a Chinese village articles, which fall below the previous year's appear sufficiently formidable. Tue experi- The euces of Italy. however, have in the some ten miles away. While he was engaged returns to the extent of £41,805,196. in making arrangements for the transport of returns for the last month of the year, we aggregate been far worse., Calabria and the airship back to Shanghai, Chinese curiosity fear, are not likely to show any material Sicily, the scene of the present devastation, or manis for curio-hunting prompted these improvement in this respect, for in the have suffered often, but apparently never spectators to make off with most of the frame- month of November alone there was a so severely as on the present occasion. work, which had been damaged by the fall, and decline of £4,740,322 in the import of raw is perhaps too early yet to form a very to test the workmanship of the balloon by insert materials, of which cotton accounts for trustworthy estimate of the loss of lie. ing knives into the silk. Ultimately, towards 3 a.m. the truant airship returned to head quarters £2.528,319, this being doubtless attribut. We are inclined to think that a telegraphic on the shoulders of fourteen coolies. General able to the recent labour dispute in error was made in the message reporting sympathy will be felt with Captain Price in his the cotton trade. For the same month 300,000 persons to have perished by the misfortune; but, doubtless, he will be well advis- the import of wool was more than half disappearance of the island of Lipari, ed to postpone, as he intends, a further flight for
a million sterling below the figures for The island is only eighteen miles in cir- a few months until he has perfected his vessel. November 1907, and other textile materials cumference and the capital town has a The ascent on Friday of the Messenger" shows that Captain Price has an airship in
were less by over two hundred thousand population of not more than 12,000. We posse, and renders pardonable the enthusiasm which led pounds. The month of November showed have no recent statistics for the whole of the think that him to advertise prematurely its capabilities. à reduction in the export of manufactured island, but we are inclined to
The money already spent on the ship amounts, we understand, to a good round sum, but Cap tain Price should be able to count upon being reimbursed as soon as it is an airship in esse.
articles amounting to £5,628,502, of which £3,283,446 appears under the heading of cotton fabrics, and £572,179 under woollen sabrics. The greatly restricted import of
that
80
13
It
30,000 would more nearly represent the population. The whole of the Lipari group of islands is included in the province of Messina which at the last census had