HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, HONGKONG, 23rd September, 1891.
SI, The Committee of this Chamber beg to bring to the notice of your Excellency that they have received complaints from the leading shipping interests of the Colony regarding the action of the Hoppo of Canton in establishing a scale of duties on exports below the Treaty tariff, for produce carried by native craft which are under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Customs-and less than the rates charged on the same produce when carried by Foreign Vessels trading under the supervision of the Imperial Maritime Customs.
The effect of this has been to drive the carrying trade from Foreign Vessels to Junks, and the uction of the Hoppo, the Chamber most respect- fully submit, is a distinct breach of the Treaties. Doeming the case to be urgent and needing immediate redress the Committee took the liberty of addressing the following telegram to your Excellency on the 19th instant : --- "Canton Native Customs are granting special privileges exports by "native junks thereby diverting trade from Foreign Vessels. "Hongkong Chamber desires immediate strict compliance treaty tariff privileges uniform to all; forwarding explanatory "despatch.
The Chamber believes they are correct in stating that the Hoppo is an official connected with and appointed from the Imperial Palace at Peking and it is the special function of the Officer to collect revenue for Court pur- poses. This the Committee submit does not clothe the Hoppo with any special privileges outside of the Treaties, and any infraction by him of those Treaties by granting special facilities of any kind to a section of the trade is a distinct deviation from treaty obligations.
The Committee cannot refrain from directing attention to the loss that is apparent to the general Imperial revenues of China by the action of the Hoppo, for every concession made by that Officer decreases the revenue that would otherwise be collected by the Imperial Maritime Customs. It is therefore plain that the Chinese Government are themselves losers by the preferential taxation now levied by the Hoppo.
The Committee from their investigations are satisfied with the justness of the complaints that have been made and would further intimate that
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