CO129-294 - Governor Sir Blake - 1899 [10-12] — Page 27

The Daily Press.

HONGKONG, September 23rd, 1899. * * *

*

INLAND WATERS STEAM NAVIGATION.

The following correspondence has been for- warded to us for publication by Mr R. Chatter- ton Wilcox, Secretary of the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce-

THE STEAMER COMPANIES TO THE CHAMBER.

Hongkong, 11th September, 1899. R. Chatterton Wilcox, Esq., Secretary,

Hongkong General Chhautber of Commerce, Dear Sir,--We hog to sand you herewith copy of a joint letter which we addressed to H.B.M. Minister at Peking on the 28th March last, pointing out the hardship entailed upou the owners of foreign steamers trading on the West River by Lue Inspector General of Cus- tome interpretation of the Steam Navigation Inland Rules and Regulations (amended) 1818, a copy of which we endlose, and in connection tharowith we would particularly direct your at- tention to paragraph 1 of the said Regulations, which reads as follows:-

"The inland waters of China are hereby opened to all such steamers, Native or Foreign, as are specially registered for that trade at tho Treaty ports. They may proceed to and fro at will under the following Regulations, but they must contine their trade to the inland watera and must not proceed to places out of Chinese territory, The expression inland waters' is used with similar meaning to that given for places in the interior (nei-t) in the fourth article of the Chefoo Convention."

Our representations to H.B.M. Minister were duly forwarded under cover by Me. Mansfeld, the British Consul at Cauton, and by the reply received, enclosed berewith with other corres- pondence on the subject, you will see that our effort to obtain redress of our grievances bas been futile, although, according to Mr. Consul Mansfeld's despatch 7th July, the Inspector- General of Customs ruling was in direct coD- travention of Regulation No 1 as quoted above. And even the privilege of calling at way ports for passengers has been withdrawn, the trade of foreign steamers being now confined solely to the treaty ports fand the four ports of call men- tioned in the orginal proclamation at the open- ing of the West River.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the freedom of traffic and trading on the Inland waters, about which so much has been said and written of late, is absolutely non-existent. Wa would therefore ask your Chamber to be good enough to take the matter up, and endeavour to obtain the removal of the restrictions of which we complain in our letter 28th March last, and which constitute a very great hindrance to the development of trade on the West River, zo much so that we have had to take one of our steamers off the Line-We are, dear sir, yours faithfully

THO, ARNOLD

Secretary, Hongkong, Canton and

Maono Steamboat Co., Limited.

JARDINE, MATHESON & Co. General Mangers, Indo-China Steam

Navigation Co., Limited.

BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE, Agents, China Navigation Co., Limited.

The

THE STEAMER COMPANIES TO THE CONBUL.

Bougkong, 28th March, 1899. Sir. We band you for your information a joint despatch we have addressed to H. B, M Minister at Peking on the subject of Iulaud Narigation together with the enclosures therein alluded to,

These we shall be glad if, after perusal, you will transmit to their destination with any remarks you may think it well to make in order to emphasize the restrictions of foreign steam traffic in Inland Waters.--We have the honour to be, air, your most obedient servants,

(Here follow signatures.)

Te R. W. Mausfeld, Esq.,

H. B. M's Conani, Canton

THE STEAMER COMPANIES TO H, B. M. MINISTER.

Hongkong, 28th March, 1899. Sir, We have the honour to enclose copies of certain correspondence relating to the opening of the inland waters of China to steam naviga. - tion, front which it will be soon that in addition to an evasive policy with regard to the publica- tion of the Rules to be in force at the various lekin barriers promised in clause 8 of the Sup- plementary Rules the Chinese Government seek to impose such restrictions on the opening of those waters as will render the whole concession valueless.

Before any advantage can be taken of the opening of these waters by foreign steamers we are of the unanimous opinion that

Ist. The prompt publication of the Rules aud Regnlations promised in Rule 7 of the Inland Regulations and Clause 8 of the Sup plementary Rules and also of the appointment of the provincial offloor referred to in Clause 9 of the lafter;

2nd. The rescinding of the Inspector-Gen- eral's decision that inter-treaty-port steamers shall not also be registered for inland naviga taou

3rd. The strict enforcement of Clause 3 of Lle Supplementary Rules must be insisted on.

As explanatory of this letter we attach a a memorandum dealibg fully with the subject. -We have the honour to be,

(Hear follow signatures.}

To His Excellency Sir Claudo Macdonald K.C.M.G., K.C.B. II.B.M'sqMinister in China.

MEMORANDOM RE INLAND BAYIGATION.

In order that the nature and meaning of these restrictions may be fully understood it is nodessary to enter into somewhat lengthy details, but the importance of the stake at issue will, we think, form ample apology for doing an.

At the opening of the West River to foreign trade two fines of steamers were started by us to engage in the carrying trade of it-one for: the direct trade between Hongkong and Wuchow! vin Semshui and the "ports of call"; the other between Canton and Wuchow also via Sawshui and the ports of call" On the direct route the advantage accruing to marchants from the payment of a fixed sum for import duty and transit dues which franked their goods through to the remote parts of Yunnan and Kweichow caused a cousilerable rush of imports to find their way in from Hongkung by water carriage instead of via the Pakhoi overland rente, etc., sto., which they had followed previous to the opening of the river. The lekin authorities havo from time to time held ont threats of reducin their import daty on goods, thus diverting them from foreign to native craft, but although the Canton provincial authorities bave adopted thace tactics with the success which usually characterizes their actions of this sort, there

has

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