62
675
Sir,
2
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to Commissioner of Customs, Samshui.
Wuchow, September 30, 1898.
AS joint charterers with Messrs. Butterfield and Swire, and the Hong Kong, Canton, and Macao Steam-boat Company of the British steamer "Kongpak," trading between Hong Kong and the Treaty port of Wuchow, we are anxious to register this vessel at your port for inland navigation, and shall be glad to learn whether, under the Provisional Regulations, it would be permitted.
The vessel would, on entering the river, land no cargo at any place below Samshui, although the loading of it and of passengers destined for other up-river ports would be desirable. Any imports she might have on board for places above Samshui would, of course, be declared both at the entrance and also at Samshui, where Tariff duty would be paid on it, as is now done with goods imported from Hong Kong to the two ports of call, Takhing and Shuihing. On the return journey from Wuchow to Hong Kong she would take no cargo for export below Samshui, although, as on the upward journey, she might engage in the coast trade (one Chinese place to another) between two places lying, one above Samshui and the other below it. The inland water pass could be surrendered each trip at either the Wangmoon or Mongchao Customs stations on the vessel leaving the river.
Or, if the above be not permissible, she might be allowed to trade above Samshui only, getting and also surrendering her inland water pass at that place each voyage,
In the event of either of the above being permitted, we would desire to know whether the payment of the fee provided, viz., 10 taels, would cover the issue of the necessary papers for more than one voyage?
In conclusion, we might add that, although we are not authorized to negotiate anything of that nature, we anticipate that there would be no objection-provided the above privileges be granted-on the part of the Companies named to give a bond to the Customs for due fulfilment of the conditions above.
We have, &c. (Signed)
JARDINE, MATHESON, AND Co.
Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Commissioner of Customs, Samshui, to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.
Sirs,
Samshui, November 3, 1898.
ADVERTING to your letter of the 30th September, 1898, requesting to know whether your Hong Kong-Wuchow steam-ship "Kongpak" would be allowed to register at this office, and take out a licence to ply in inland waters, and to my reply of the 5th ultimo informing you that your request had been referred to the Inspector-General, I now beg to communicate to you the Inspector-General's reply:-
"That vessels engaged in inter-Treaty port trade or in trade with ports outside Chinese jurisdiction cannot also be registered for inland, i.e., non-Treaty port, trade. The vessels registered under the Inland Waters Steam Navigation Rules must be confined to trade between Treaty ports and inland places or between inland places."
I beg, &c.
Sir,
Inclosure 4 in No. 1.
[Not Signed.]
Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co. to Commissioner of Customs, Wuchow.
Wuchow, February 15, 1899.
REFERRING to clause 8 of the Supplementary Rules under Inland Steam Navigation Regulations, we should be glad to learn whether the Rules, &c., in force at the several places where dues and duties are payable, have yet been published, and, if not, will you kindly inform us on what date the issue of them may be looked for?
We have, &c.
(Signed) JARDINE, MATHESON, AND Co.
3
Inclosure 5 in No. 1.
Commissioner of Customs, Wuchow, to Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.
Gentlemen,
Wuchow, February 28, 1899.
I HAVE duly received your letter of the 15th instant asking when the Rules regarding dues and duties inland will be published.
In reply, I beg to state that I have not yet received any copies of these, and that I do not yet know when they will be issued.
Inclosure 6 in No. 1.
Memorandum re Inland Navigation.
I have, &c.
[Not Signed.]
already red is
30652
IN order that the nature and meaning of these restrictions may be fully understood,
it is necessary to enter into somewhat lengthy details, but the importance of the stake at issue will, we think, form ample apology for doing so.
At the opening of the West River to foreign trade two lines of steamers were started by us to engage in the carrying trade of it-one for the direct trade between Hong Kong and Wuchow via Samshui and the "ports of call," the other between Canton and Wuchow, also viâ Samshui and the "ports of call."
The advantage accruing to merchants from the payment of a fixed sum for import duty and transit dues which franked their goods through to the remote parts of Yunnan and Kuei-chow caused a considerable rush of imports to find their way in from Hong Kong by water carriage instead of via the Pakhoi overland route, &c., which they had followed previous to the opening of the river. The li-kin authorities have from time to time held out threats of reducing their import duty on goods, thus diverting them from foreign to native craft; but although the Canton provincial authorities have adopted these tactics with the success which usually characterizes their actions of this sort, there has been, up to date, no systematic attempt to extend them throughout the length of the West River, so that, to a large extent, the competition we encounter, although keen, is but the natural result of rivalry in trade,
When the inland waters of China were first declared to be open, a good deal of doubt existed as to the conditions under which the navigation of them would be allowed, and, with a view to gaining information on this important point—important to us not only from the expansion of trade that would result, but also that it might seriously modify the plans of vessels we were then contracting to have built—we applied to the Imperial Maritime Customs at Samshui to register the steam-ship "Kongpak" for inland navigation. After reference to Peking, this was refused by the Inspector-General of Customs, whose decision on the matter is given in the Samshui Commissioner's letter, copy of which is attached. While we still think that the privileges asked for might be accorded without danger to the safety of the revenue of China, we must at the same time admit that there are considerable difficulties in the way, and that, probably, the only effective way of meeting them would be to open Kongmoon, or some other place situated at the mouth of the river, as a Treaty port, whence, and also from Samshui and Wuchow, after payment of duties, goods would be free to find their way inland, carried either by the importing or other steamer as was found most convenient.
So far we have only dealt with the effect the opening of waters has had on the direct trade with Hong Kong, the craft engaged in which come under the heading of vessels engaged in trade with ports outside Chinese jurisdiction, and are, therefore, excluded from any direct participation in the benefits which should result therefrom. There still, however, remains the Canton-Wuchow trade, the steamers on which, being vessels engaged in inter-Treaty port trade, are also, by the Inspector-General's ruling, debarred from inland water privileges. It is to this decision, as affecting this class of vessel, that we would beg your most earnest attention, as we are of the unanimous opinion that, if enforced, it will, as we have already stated, render the whole Concession valueless.
From the beginning our vessels on the Canton-Wuchow line have been subjected to such restrictions that it seemed quite hopeless for them to attempt to compete with their