CO882-6 — Page 240

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TLC.O. 882

f

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-I COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

39755

128

No. 119.

MR. A. GRAY to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received September 24, 1902.)

SIR,

September 23, 1902. Is reply to Mr. Lucas's letter of the 25th August (22815/1902),* on the subject of a reference to Part V. of the Wei-hai-Wei Order in Council, in a report made by the Acting Assistant Commissioner, I have the honour to report as follows:-

When the Wei-hai-Wei Order was in preparation, very little information was procurable with respect to the territory and its judicial requirements. It did not appear to be known what magistrates would be required, or what class of men would available for the office, having regard to the emoluments which might be offered. It was therefore determined that much should be left to be provided by Ordinance; and this intention is specially expressed in Articles 63 and 67 with regard to juris- diction in bankruptcy and probate respectively.

I respectfully suggest that the Commissioner should be instructed to make, by Ordinance, such provision for the civil jurisdiction of magistrates, and for appeals to the High Court as may be proper, having regard to the circumstances of the place, and the legal qualifications of the magistrates. Matters of mere procedure may then be dealt with by Rules of Court under Article 19.

39999

SIR,

No. 120.

I have, &c..

A. GRAY.

SIR T. JACKSON to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received September 25, 1902.) [Copy to Treasury, September 27, 1902. L.F.] [Answered by No. 121.]

Stanstead, Essex, September 24, 1902.

I BEG to reply to your letter of the 22nd instant, in which you enclosed a copy of a despatch from the Commissioner of Wei-hai-wei on the subject of the currency of the Dependency.

.

Copper cash is the poor man's currency all over China; I am not surprised to hear that at present land tax at Wei-hai-wei is paid in that cumbrous medium.

(

I have no doubt in the course of time the convenience of using a silver subsidiary inage will be appreciated, but the change can only come gradually, and in t

the meantime the Commissioner will do well not to force, matters.

Regarding the introduction of British dollars, we had some difficulty in getting the Chinese to take them in Hong Kong; their conservative objections were soon overcome, they now realize that the British is a better minted and a more reliable com than the Mexican dollar. They are more evenly assayed and of a more uniform weight.

Both coins profess to be of the same weight and fineness, say, 900/1000 and 416 grains.

The Mexican dollars are so unevenly minted that while no doubt some of them would weigh 417 grains or over, others would be under 416 grains.

Chinese bankers at Chefoo will struggle to maintain the old Mexican dollar as their currency, because they can be disposed of in Shanghai (often at a good price), the native bankers at the latter port having proved themselves sufficiently powerful to exclude the British dollar from their market.

In my opinion the British Government ought to insist on British dollars being current at Wei bai-wei as a legal tender coin.

I am, &c.,

T. JACKSON.

39999

SIR,

129

No. 121.

COLONIAL OFFICE to SIR T. JACKSON.

[Answered by No. 122.]

Downing Street, September 27, 1902. I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 24th instant,* on the subject of the currency of the Dependency of Wei-hai-wei.

2. I am to enquire whether the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corpora- tion has yet applied to the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury for permission to establish a banking branch at Wei-hai-wei, as suggested in the letter from this office of the 29th of July last.†

I am, &c.,

40865

No. 122.

C. P. LUCAS.

HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION to COLONIAL

SIR,

OFFICE.

(Received October 1, 1902.)

[Copy to Commissioner, October 9, 1902, No. 37. L.F.] [Acknowledged October 9, 1902 (40865): not printed.]

31, Lombard Street, London, E.C., September 30, 1902.

I AM in receipt of your letter, No. 39999/1902, of the 27th instant, and beg to say that the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation has not yet applied to the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury for permission to open a branch at Wei-hai-wei.

On receipt of your letter of July 29th,† I wrote to our Head Office at Hongkong recommending the opening of a branch there, and, in reply, received the following from the Chief Manager at Hong Kong:-

"Wei-hai-wei. It will be interesting to hear what the Colonial Office had to

say about the future of this port.

"As mentioned in a former letter, Mr. Stewart Lockhart promised to report to

us when he was in a position to show reasonable prospect of a development of trade to warrant the bank opening a branch there."

And, by last mail, our Chief Manager also wrote:-

"Wei-hai-wei.—I have not heard yet from Mr. Stewart Lockhart. I doubt if there is any trade so far."

It is under these circumstances that no action has, so far, been taken, but I have recommended that application be made to His Majesty's Government for permission to open an agency at Wei-hai-wei whenever Mr. Stewart Lockhart reports in favour of our so doing.

I am, &c.,

41220

(Confidential.)

SIR,

No. 123.

FOREIGN OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received October 4, 1902.)

T. JACKSON

Foreign Office, October 3, 1902 I LAID before the Marquess of Lansdowne your letter of the 25th of August. § transmitting a report on Wei-hai-Wei by Mr. G. T. Hare, recently Acting Assistant Commissioner of that Dependency.

His Lordship is advised that the views expressed by Mr. Hare in paragraph‍55 of his report as to the nationality of Chinese residents in Wei-hai-Wei are correct.

I am, &c.,

FRANCIS BERTIE.

• No. 1124.

+ No. 118.

• No. 120.

† No. 107.

‡ No. 121.

9661

§ No. 113.

RPage 241

40865

SIR,

130

No. 124.

COLONIAL OFFICE to TREASURY.

[Answered by No. 125.]

Downing Street, October 9, 1902. I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to transmit to you, for the con- sideration of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, with reference to the letter from this office of the 27th ultimo,* a copy of further correspondencet with Sir T. Jackson, .Bart., on the subject of currency and banking arrangements at Wei-hai-wei.

2. In view of this letter, considered in connection with the despatch from Mr. Lockhart copy of which was enclosed in the letter from this office of the 22nd ultimo. it appears to Mr. Chamberlain that it might be preferable to postpone the issue of the Order in Council proposed in that letter, pending the receipt of a further report from Mr. Lockhart. It seems unlikely that the British dollar will pass freely in the Dependency until a branch of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corpora tion was opened.

I am, &c.,

C. P. LUCAS.

131

agree with him in thinking it doubtful how far the junk coast-customs described in paragraph 37 of the report can properly be levied, and I would suggest for your consideration that it might be better to retain the actual tax, but to change the basis of taxation, making it a tax on shipping generally, or on tonnage. "Your experience of Hong Kong is sufficient to satisfy you that both the wine and the opium "monopolies" can be justified by existing precedent, even in the case of a

free port."

8. I have submitted to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury the observation made in paragraph 44 of the report, as to the inconvenience of the present financial year; and their Lordships state in reply that they think it proper, in view of the Chinese custom referred to in that paragraph, that the financial year should run from 1st January, and that there appears to be the less objection to this arrangement in that the financial requirements of the leased territories appear simple and able to he foreseen with precision a longer time ahead that is usually possible. The change of year will take place from 1st January next, and therefore it will not be necessary to include in the Colonial Services Estimate for 1903-4 provision for more than the last nine months of 1903.

9. The view put forward by Mr. Hare in paragraph 55 of his report, in regard to the nationality of Chinese inhabitants of Wei-hai-wei is correct.

I have, &c.,

J. CHAMBERLAIN.

22815.

No. 124A.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN to COMMISSIONER STEWART LOCKHART.

42982

No. 125.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TLC.O. 882

سلسلنا

(No. 38.)

[Answered by No. 150.]

Downing Street, October 15, 1902.

SIR,

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of (now Lieutenant-Colonel) Cowan's despatch, No. 14, of the 1st of May last,§ forwarding a report on the Dependency of Wei-hai-wei, prepared by Mr. G. T. Hare, late Acting Assistant Commissioner.

2. I have read this very complete and able report with much interest; but I have deferred addressing you on the subject until various points raised therein had been referred to and considered by other public departments which they concern. In the meantime Appendices I. and IV. have been printed and laid before Parliament,|| with the exception of the concluding part of the former, which recites the Convention for the lease of Wei-hai-wei, that Convention having already been published.

3. As regards the proposal that the post of Assistant Commissioner should be retained, and that of Secretary and Financial Assistant abolished, I hope shortly to address you in another despatch, in connection with your own despatch, No. 32, of the 16th June, which is at present under the consideration of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury.

4. Mr. Hare argues in paragraph 20 of his report against the establishment of a Land Court and the commencement of a cadastral survey; and, on the assumption that you agree, I am prepared to acquiesce in the postponement of these measures, for the present at any rate. I also agree that there is no need at present to appoint a judge.

5. I note from paragraph 33 of the report that the Chinese prostitutes living at Port Edward are charged a small fee for police protection and control. This is contrary to the policy laid down in the case of other colonies and dependencies, and it should be discontinued immediately, if this has not already been done.

6. After consulting the Board of Trade, I approve the proposal that the junkmen of Wei-hai-wei should be permitted to fly a Chinese pennant, with the words "issued by the British authorities" stamped upon it.

7. You are aware that Mr. Hare is not, strictly speaking, correct in asserting that Wei-bai-wei is a "free port," according to the generally accepted meaning of the term. The Government of the Dependency can collect any duties it pleases. including Customs duties on sea-borne goods; but if any duties of the latter description are collected, they must be handed over to the Chinese authorities.

I

Nos. 121 and 122. Printed as Colonial Report Miscellaneous No. 20,

‡ No. 117.

No. 96.

No. 106.

* L.F. transmitting a copy of No. 120.

SIR,

TREASURY to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received October 17, 1902.)

Treasury Chambers, October 16, 1902.

I AM directed by the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Lucas's letter of the 9th instant (40865/02),* further respecting the proposed establishment of a branch bank at Wei-hai-Wei by the Hong- kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.

my Lords

In reply I am to request you to inform Mr. Secretary Chamberlain that agree that unless such a branch bank is established it is not desirable to take any further steps at present to make the British dollar legal tender at Wei-hai-Wei.

The drafting of the proposed Order in Council will accordingly not be proceeded with until they have been informed by your Department of the decision at which

the bank has arrived.

42987

No. 126.

I am, &c.,

E. W. HAMILTON.

COMMISSIONER LOCKHART to MR. CHAMBERLAIN. (Received October 17, 1902.)

\(Confidential.)

SIR,

Government House, Port Edward, Wei-hai-wei,

September 1, 1902. WITH reference to your despatch, marked confidential, of the 12th March last,† regarding the walled city of Wei-hai-wei, I have the honour to report that since my arrival here the petty civil magistrate, who is resident in that city, has invariably proved himself ready to assist this Government to the best of his power, and as he is in receipt of $40 a month, paid from the funds of this dependency, there is every pro- bability that he will continue to co-operate in a satisfactory manner.

2. Under these circumstances I do not advise that any change be made in exist ing arrangements so long as they work as smoothly as they do at present.

I hate, &c.,

J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,

No. 124.

9631

† No. 87,

Commissioner.

R 2