CO129-268 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1895 [7-11] — Page 649

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and Haikwan Taels 1,050,000 Imports, Taels 830,000 Exports, respectively, and the Committee of this Chamber are of opinion that the advantage thus secured to France is sufficient to justify a claim on the part of Great Britain for the opening of the West River, which would seem the only equivalent of the privileges granted to our neighbours on the western borders,

I have the honour to forward to your Lordship herewith a map showing the Canton River throughout its course, with the towns referred to in this letter marked in red for convenience of identification, and I am also sending a map to H.B.M.'s Minister at Peking together with a copy of this letter.

In conclusion the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce ventures to hope that from the well-known interest your Lordship has at all times manifested in the protection, maintenance, and development of British commerce and privileges both at home and abroad, you will be pleased to direct that negotiations may be entered upou with the Chinese Government through H.B.M.'s Minister at Peking for opening to trade the cities on the Canton River referred to in this communication.-I have, &c.,

To the Right Honourable

THE EARL OF ROSEBERY, K.G.,

J. J. KESWICK, Chairman.

Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,

LONDON.

(Enclosure B.)

In his Report on the Trade of Canton for 1893, Mr. BYRON BRENAN, H. B. M.'s Consul at that port, writes:-

"DISTRIBUTION OF FOREIGN GOODS,

"The distribution of foreign merchandise over the inland markets of the province is entirely in the hands of Chinese, and goods are taxed as heavily as the lekin office may wish. For the present, the Canton Government has succeeded in preventing the transportation of inerchandise under transit pass; and yet it is only under the transit pass system that any development of trade can be looked for; but the Canton Government does not care for an extension of trade that yields it no revenue. That the Central Government may be a gainer is no argument; its sole concern is to force trade into such channels as shall enrich the provincial treasury,"

"Under the treaties, foreign goods, regardless of ownership, are entitled to the protection of a transit pass, but Chinese merchants do not dare to claim this privilege. He would be a ruined man who ventured to escape lekin by using a transit pass. The foreign merchant need have no such fears, but if he attempted to convey goods into the interior under transit pass he would scarcely find a pur- chaser at his journey's end. The Chinese purchaser would be a marked man, and from him would be exacted a greater sum than had been saved by putting the goods under a transit pass. The transit pass protects the goods as long as it accompanies them, but once these have arrived at their declared destination, the pass must be surrendered, and then it is that the lekin officials proceed to enforce payment of arrears.

As in the case of exports, the Canton foreign merchant views this with indifference. He is not an importer: Chinese supply their wants in Hongkong; and however much the import trade might develop, it is not the foreign merchant at Canton that would be a gainer."

"Owing to the restrictions thus put on trade passing through Canton, districts in the provinces of Yunnan and Kwang-si, which should properly derive their supplies through Canton, are more and more obtaining what they require through Tonkin over the Tonkin frontier; and perhaps the Canton authorities may some day realise that less taxation would mean a larger revenue.'

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