[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[29897]
344
C.O 9354
[August 9.]
SECTION 1.
O SEP OC
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received August 9.)
[Via Siberia.]
(No. 258.) Sir,
Peking, July 20, 1909. I HAVE the honour to transmit to you herewith copy of a despatch from the acting consul-general at Mukden reporting the measures taken by the new Viceroy of Manchuria for the reduction of the expenses of administration of the three provinces placed under his charge.
His Excellency Hsi Liang would undoubtedly appear to have ample grounds for seeking to bring within reasonable bounds the expenditure on governmental machinery which, according to Mr. Willis's previous despatches, were unnecessarily large. As I had the honour to report in my despatch No. 484 of the 27th October last, his Excellency Chao Erh Hsün left a surplus of 7,000,000 taels in the treasury, and this large sum was dissipated by his successor, Hsu Shih Chang, whose adminis- tration contemporary with that of Tong Shao Yi in Fengtien province, was, if efficient, admittedly extravagant.
Large sums were wasted on public buildings, police, and the maintenance of an army of officials, with the result that little or nothing was left for the real needs of the three provinces. At the present moment Manchuria wants to be provided with the means to develop her very great agricultural and mineral resources, and the first step to be taken should be to improve her means of communication, and thus provide outlets for her produce. But the provincial treasury is notoriously lacking in funds, and great difficulty will be experienced in levying money, even for so obvious and urgent a necessity as the conservancy of the Liao River. Increased taxation on a large scale is hardly possible, principally on account of the popular opposition, which, as pointed out in my despatch No. 494 above mentioned, is always successfully brought into play whenever it is sought to place additional financial burdens on the people, and also because the population is too poor to bear heavy contributions to the exchequer.
In the circumstances, therefore, the new Viceroy's action is a wise step, and it is to be hoped that he will be allowed to persevere in his reduction of his official staff, and thus remove one of the chief obstacles to much needed schemes of reform.
Inclosure in No. 1.
I have, &c.
J. N. JORDAN.
(No. 23.) Sir,
Acting Consul-General Willis to Sir J. Jordan.
Mukden, June 29, 1909.
I HAVE the honour to report that his Excellency Hsi Liang, the Viceroy of the three eastern provinces, left Mukden yesterday evening by the South Manchurian Railway en route for Changchun.
His Excellency's intention, I am informed, is to spend from one month to six weeks on a tour of inspection of the Kirin and Heilungcliiang Provinces.
Since his arrival here on the 20th May last his Excellency Hsi Liang has in the main devoted himself to the reorganisation of the provincial administration with the view of, by the exercise of strict economy, placing the finances of the three provinces on a more satisfactory basis.
There can be no doubt but that under the régime of the late Viceroy his Excellency Hsu Shih Chang many of the Government departments were over-staffed and overpaid. The explanation of this sorry state of things, in face of the reputation for personal integrity enjoyed by both the late Viceroy and his Excellency Tong Shao-yi, is, I have been informed, that they were compelled to appoint the nominees of various Manchu princes to offices under pain of being intrigued against at Peking.
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