१
Review of progress made since 1896.
Pacification of country,
Railway construc-
rian,
(Vide also supplementary note.)
4
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Notes on Indo-China Affairs,
INDEX.
Review of progress made since 1896
Pacification of country
Railway construction
Revenue
Trade
Transit trade
Activity of Japanese
Foreigners excluded from timber trade
Cultivation of pepper
Increase of French settlers
Public works..
Treaty with Siam
::::::::
Page
4
4
4
A COMPARISON of the condition of Indo-China at the present time with that obtaining some five years ago shows that a notable improvement has taken place, and that steady and substantial progress is being made in the general development of the country. Dacoity and lawless violence to which the land had long been a prey have been almost entirely suppressed, and the inhabitants now enjoy a security of life and property hitherto unknown to them; the means of communication have been improved and increased by the repair of old canals and the construction of new ones, by the amelioration and extension of the land routes, and by the inauguration of a system of railways which will join together all the provinces and chief trading centres and also penetrate far into Siam and the south of China; extensive drainage and irrigation works have been carried out, and large tracts of fertile land thus brought under cultivation; a common Budget has been introduced for all the provinces, thereby greatly strengthening their financial position and helping on their political consolidation, and finally, the revenue and trade of the country have more than doubled. Such is a brief statement of the progress made since 1896—progress which may well justify the sanguine hopes entertained of a still more rapid advance in the future. A few details of the results attained along the lines indicated may perhaps be of interest, and will enable a better appreciation to be formed of the extent and importance of the development that has taken place.
The pacification of the country would appear to be complete, judging from the returns of casualties suffered by the army, which show that there were no killed or wounded in action from 1897 to 1901, whilst from 1893 to 1897 there were 734. The establishment of tranquillity is further evidenced by the reoccupation of large areas of land which had been deserted in the troublous times that followed the conquest, and by a widespread agricultural development, as seen in the extended cultivation of tobacco, cotton, sugar-cane, tea, and pepper, which are now produced in considerable quantities and at paying rates. At the same time, the cultivable area has been largely added to by comprehensive schemes of drainage and irrigation carried out by the Government and private individuals in all parts of the country, but especially in Cochin-China. In that province over 300,000 acres of marsh-land have been reclaimed, representing an addition to the wealth of the country of close on a million sterling per annum. In a single district nearly 40 miles of canals have been made by the Government, and in the Plaine des Joncs, west of Saigon, which has long been considered impossible of cultivation, but which is now being rapidly reclaimed, over 60 miles of canals have been dug during the last four years by the enterprise of a rich native. In Annam and Tonquin the same work is being carried on, but there more by irrigation than by drainage.
The construction of the network of railways, for which the loan of 8,000,000l. was voted in 1898, is making good progress, but has scarcely yet advanced sufficiently to be of any great benefit to trade generally, although the movement of goods in two or three districts has, no doubt, been considerably facilitated. The railways contemplated by this scheme are: a trunk line from Saigon along the coast through Hue and Vinh to Hanoi; lines from Hanoi to Haiphong, from Hanoi through Langson to Dongdang on the Kuanghsi frontier, from Hanoi through Laokay to Yunnan-fu; and branches from Tanlin to Lang Bian, and from Saigon to Mytho and Cantho. Of these the lines from Hanoi to
5
Dongdang, from Hanoi to Haiphong, from Hanoi to Nin Binh, and from Saigon to Mytho have been working for some time. The sections from Hanoi to Yenbay, about 145 miles beyond Vietry, from Nin Binh to Vinh, and from Saigon to Tanlin are expected to be opened to traffic shortly. The section from Tourane to Hue (65 miles) will be completed in three years, and that from Yenbay to Laokay, which is let out on contract, should be finished at the end of 1904. A number of branch lines to serve as feeders of the main system and to open up the interior are also projected. The map attached hereto, which also shows the railways in the adjoining country of Siam, will help to elucidate the foregoing remarks.
In 1896 the local budgets were as follows:-
Cochin-China
Cambodia
Annam -Tonquin
Laos..
Dollars.
11,633,000
2,365,000
7,208,000
142,000
The aggregate revenue was thus something over 21,300,000 dollars, which sum was slightly under the expenditure. A general budget for the whole Empire was instituted in July 1898, leaving, however, a local budget for each province. In 1902 the total of all the budgets combined was 40,805,000 dollars, distributed as follows:---
General budget.. Cochin-China Cambodia
Annam
Tonquin Laos..
Dollars.
27,142,000
4,192,000
2,033,000
2,196,000
4,410,000
830,000
Thus the revenue nearly doubled in the short space of six years. These figures, moreover, do not show the whole increase, for during the period mentioned the budgets of some of the provinces have left surpluses which, after paying off previous deficits and defraying charges of an exceptional character, have permitted the formation of reserves amounting in the aggregate to 11,590,000 dollars, divided as follows:---
General budget Tonquin
Annam
Cambodia
Dollars,
8,476,000
1,241,000
782,000
1,141,000
It will be observed that Cochin-China, the richest of all the provinces, does not appear in the list. This is due to heavy charges imposed upon the Colony to meet the expenses of warlike operations carried on against Siam some years ago, but as soon as this burden (the debt at present amounts to about 700,000 dollars) is got rid of a substantial surplus may be confidently looked for. The Laos country, which is the most backward of all the divisions of Indo-China, has hitherto received an annual grant in aid of 500,000 dollars, but the time seems not far distant when it too will be able to pay its own way. The revenue has risen from 142,000 dollars in 1896 to 359,000 dollars in 1901, and shows a steady and constant increase; in fact, with the grant, there is already an excess of receipts over expenditure. The surplus for all the budgets in 1901 was 1,500,000 dollars, of which two-fifths belonged to the general budget.
The financial position of the Empire, as indicated by the above figures, seems therefore to be highly satisfactory, and, no doubt, reflects a state of general commercial and agricultural prosperity. It should, however, be pointed out that the growth of the revenue is not entirely attributable to the economic development of the country; it is in some measure due to a more effective collection of the land and capitation taxes, which have hitherto, and probably still are, extensively evaded. With the more careful supervision that will be exercised as the country settles down, and the machinery of government is elaborated, a still further increase from this source may, therefore, be looked for. It may here be noted that the general budget is almost entirely dependent for its receipts upon the Customs, which yielded nearly 24,000,000 out of a total of 27,000,000 dollars. The advance under this head is, therefore, mainly attributable to an expansion of trade. Direct taxes (land and capitation) constitute the chief resource of the local budgets.
This prosperous state of the finances would appear, moreover, to have been attained without recourse to excessive taxation, for concurrently with the growth of the revenue the consumption by the natives of goods of foreign manufacture, largely articles of luxury, has increased, and a tendency has shown itself amongst the well-to-do to adopt foreign dress and modes of living, pretty sure signs that the people are not taxed beyond their means.
[1881 gg-1]
C
Revenue.
Page 79
१
Review of progress made since 1896.
Pacification of country,
Railway construc-
rian,
(Vide also supple mentary note.)
4
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Notes on Indo-China Affairs,
INDEX.
Review of progress made since 1896
Pacification of country
Railway construction
Revenue
Trade
Transit trade
Activity of Japanese
Foreigners excluded from timber trade
Cultivation of pepper
Inereuse of French settlers
Public works..
Treaty with Siam
::::::::
Page
4
4
4
A COMPARISON of the condition of Indo-China at the present time with that obtaining some five years ago shows that a notable improvement has taken place, and that steady and substantial progress is being made in the general development of the country. Dacoity and lawless violence to which the land had long been a prey have been almost entirely suppressed, and the inhabitants now enjoy a security of life and property hitherto unknown to them; the means of communication have been improved and increased by the repair of old canals and the construction of new ones, by the amelioration and extension of the land routes, and by the inauguration of a system of railways which will join together all the provinces and chief trading centres and also penetrate far into Siam and the south of China; extensive drainage and irrigation works have been carried out, and large tracts of fertile land thus brought under cultivation; a common Budget bas been introduced for all the provinces, thereby greatly strengthening their financial position and helping on their political consolidation, and finally, the revenue and trade of the country have more than doubled. Such is a brief statement of the progress made since 1896-progress which may well justify the sanguine hopes entertained of a still more rapid advance in the future. A few details of the results attained along the lines indicated may perhaps be of interest, and will enable a better appreciation to be formed of the extent and importance of the development that has taken place.
The pacification of the country would appear to be complete, judging from the returns of casualties suffered by the army, which show that there were no killed or wounded in action from 1897 to 1901, whilst from 1893 to 1897 there were 734. The establishment of tranquillity is further evidenced by the reoccupation of large areas of land which had been deserted in the troublous times that followed the conquest, and by a widespread agricultural development, as seen in the extended cultivation of tobacco, cotton, sugar-cane, tea, and pepper, which are now produced in considerable quantities and at paying rates. At the same time, the cultivable area has been largely added to by com- prehensive schemes of drainage and irrigation carried out by the Government and private individuals in all parts of the country, but especially in Cochin-China. In that province over 300,000 acres of marsh-land have been reclaimed, representing an addition to the wealth of the country of close on a million sterling per annum. In a single district nearly 40 miles of canals have been made by the Government, and in the Plaine des Jones, west of Saigon, which has long been considered impossible of cultivation, but which is now being rapidly reclaimed, over 60 miles of canals have been dug during the last four years by the enterprise of a rich native. In Anuamn and Tonquin the same work is being carried on, but there more by irrigation than by drainage.
The construction of the network of railways, for which the loan of 8,000,000%. was voted in 1898, is making good progress, but has scarcely yet advanced sufficiently to be of any great benefit to trade generally, although the movement of goods in two or three districts bas, no doubt, been considerably facilitated. The railways contemplated by this scheme are: a trunk line from Saigon along the coast through Hue and Vinh to Hanoi; lines from Hanoi to Haiphong, trom Hanoi through Langson to Dongdang on the Kuanghsi frontier, from Hanoi through Laokay to Yunnan-fu; and branches from Tanlin to Lang Bian, and from Saigon to Mytho and Cantho. Of these the lines from Hanoi to
5
Dongdang, from Hanoi to Haiphong, from Hanoi to Nin Binh, and from Saigon to Mytho have been working for some time. The sections from Hanoi to Yenbay, about 45 miles beyond Vietry, from Nin Binh to Vinh, and from Saigon to Tanlin are expected to be opened to traffic shortly. The section from Tourane to Hue (65 miles) will be completed in three years, aurl that from Yenbay to Laokay, which is let out on contract, should be finished at the end of 1904. A number of branch lines to serve as feeders of the main system and to open up the interior are also projected. The map attached hereto, which also shows the railways in the adjoining country of Siam, will help to elucidate the foregoing remarks.
In 1896 the local budgets were as follows:-
Cochin-China
Cambodia
Annam -Tonquin
Laos..
::::
Dollars.
11,633,000
2,365,000
7,208,000
142,000
The aggregate revenue was thus something over 21,300,000 dollars, which sum was slightly under the expenditure. A general budget for the whole Empire was instituted in July 1898, leaving, however, a local budget for each province. In 1902 the total of all the budgets combined was 40,805,000 dollars, distributed as follows:---
General budget.. Cochin-China Cambodia
Annam
Tonquin Laos..
Dollars.
27,142,000
4,192,000
2,033,000
2,196,000
4,410,000
830,000
Thus the revenue nearly doubled in the short space of six years. These figures, moreover, do not show the whole increase, for during the period mentioned the budgets of some of the provinces have left surpluses which, after paying off previous deficits and defraying charges of an exceptional character, have perniitted the formation of reserves amounting in the aggregate to 11,590,000 dollars, divided as follows:---
General budget Tonquin
Annam
Cambodia
Dollars,
8,476,000
1,241,000
782,000
1,141,000
It will be observed that Cochin-China, the richest of all the provinces, does not appear in the list. This is due to heavy charges imposed upon the Colony to meet the expenses of warlike operations carried on against Siam some years ago, but as soon as this burden (the debt at present amounts to about 700,000 dollars) is got rid of a substantial surplus may be confidently looked for. The Laos country, which is the most backward of all the divisions of Indo-China, has hitherto received an annual grant in aid of 500,000 dollars, but the time seems not far distant when it too will be able to pay its own way. The revenue has risen from 142,000 dollars in 1896 to 359,000 dollars in 1901, and shows a steady and constant increase; in fact, with the grant, there is already an excess of receipts over expenditure. The surplus for all the budgets in 1901 was 1,500,000 dollars, of which two-fifths belonged to the general budget.
The financial position of the Empire, as indicated by the above figures, seems therefore to be highly satisfactory, and, no doubt, reflects a state of general commercial and agricul- tural prosperity. It should, however, be pointed out that the growth of the revenue is not entirely attributable to the economic development of the country; it is in some measure due to a more effective collection of the land and capitation taxes, which have hitherto, and probably still are, extensively evaded. With the more caretul supervision that will be exercised as the country settles down, and the machinery of government is elaborated, a still further increase from this source may, therefore, be looked for. It may here be noted that the general budget is almost entirely dependent for its receipts upon the Customs, which yielded nearly 24,000,000 out of a total of 27,000,000 dollars. The advance under this head is, therefore, mainly attributable to an expansion of trade. Direct taxes (land and capitation) constitute the chief resource of the local budgets.
This prosperous state of the finances would appear, moreover, to have been attained without recourse to excession taxation, for concurrently with the growth of the revenue the consumption by the natives of goods of foreign manufacture, largely articles of luxury, has increased, and a tendency has shown itself amongst the well-to-do to adopt foreigu dress and modes of living, pretty sure signs that the people are not taxed beyond their means.
[1881 gg-1]
C
Revenue.
79
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