PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TILLC.O. 882
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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The following civilian views deserve special notice :-
Sir F. Swettenham, who was sent specially in 1900 to report on Weihaiwei for the benefit of the Colonial Office, which was then taking over the Administration, did not form a high opinion of its resources. "The soil is very poor, and only producca just enough to keep the people alive. "There are no exports except some salt fish to Formosa, and the imports are limited to sugar, "tobacco, paper, and timber. Beyond this there " is no trade, and no prospect of any, unless the "wild silk of the district, now collected at and exported to Chefoo, should eventually be shipped "from Weihaiwei
The
"existence of minerals is not known and very " doubtful." On the other hand, he spoke of the goodness of its climate "compared with other places in China occupied by Europeans," which should make it a popular health resort; of labour being plautiful, cheap, and easily managed" of the Chinese population being "peaceful and law-abiding"; and of the harbour being “perhaps "the best on the coast between Hong Kong and "Talienwan.”
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Mr. Hare, another very capable observer, with almost unique knowledge of Chinese men and matters, who visited the place with Sir F. Swettenham, and acted for about a Assistant Commissioner, reported in 1902. Like Sir F. Swettenham, he did not speak hopefully of the resources of Weihaiwei, but laid down that "Weihaiwei possesses the finest harbour in the "north of China, and if it should become necessary "for China to find egress to the sea by rail for the "trade of Tientsin, Weihaiwei is the port that "offers the best natural advantages." He also referred to the inhabitants of the leased territory as **contented, law-abiding, and well-disposed to the British."
In his view, "all comparisons of the prospects "of Weihaiwei with the free port of Hong Kong " are much beside the mark. Hong Kong is a "barren rock like Weihaiwei, but behind Hong
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Kong is the richest province in China; whereas "the country for a hundred miles odd round the "Weibsiwei settlement is, perhaps, almost the "poorest in the whole of China"; and again “no "comparison can be justly made between Wei- "haiwei and Hong Kong. Hong Kong is one "of the great shipping termini and ports of call "in the world for all the great lines running East " and West. Hong Kong, too, as a great trading emporium, is an extension of China, a suburb "of the City of Canton so to speak, which is one "of the richest and most prosperous cities in the "East."
Reference is made later to what Mr. Hare has proposed in connexion with Weihaiwei.
Mr. Hare thinks that "His Majesty's Govern- "ment must face the fact that this distant CE dependency is always likely to be a financial "burden though a small one-on the Imperial
"funds
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There are no local industries "established here, and none of the Chinese have any capital to establish such. There, are more- "over, no attractions here to induce Chinese from "other places to come here and settle and
#introduce local industries
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From
mining there appears to be little prospect of “satisfactory results.”
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Even "as a summer resort he thinks that Weihaiwei will have to compete with Japan, "the old established Treaty port of Chefon, and "the rising watering-place of Pei Ta Ho in the "north."
The best opinion, no doubt, that we can have from a civilian on the subject is that of our Commissioner, Mr. Lockhart. He repudiates the view which has been put forward as to the poverty of the people: "the people, though not wealthy,
are far removed from being poverty stricken."
痛感
As to climate, he speaks of Weihaiwei "as one of "the few places in the Far East which can be "described as a white man's country all the year "round," its natural healthiness being supple- mented by good sanitation: in matter of trade he thinks that "while the situation of Weihaiwei "does not seem to warrant the anticipation that it "will become a second Hong Kong, on the other "hand it possesses potentialities which, if fostered, ought to entitle it to a rank higher than that "of a second class watering-place
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"harbour, which is the best in China north of Hong Kong, and the fact that it is situated "in the direct line of trade, are points in its !! favour
if capital be attracted to its "shores, it appears to be fairly certain that a
" trade will be created."
Mr. Lockhart at the same time assures me coustantly that, if Weibaiwei is to succeed commercially-
(i.) There must be left no doubt in the minds
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of the investing public that we mean to stay.
(ii.) We must, somehow or other, modify our pledge to Germany "that England will "not construct any railway communica- "tion from Weihaiwei and the district "leased therewith, into the interior of "the province." Here is his summary :—
"As regards the prospect of trade at Weibanşei, it is useless to attempt to blink the fact that, with Kiso-Chau on one side and
H Chefoo on the other, and in the absence of railway communication with the interior of the province, it will not be easy to attract Chinese trade to the territory. But Wai- baiwei possesses natural advantages in the shape of an excellent harbour, charges no duties, and is more conveniently situated than Chefoo for certain articles of trade ty which now have their centre at that port. It is also under the British flag, under which the
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