CO129-331 - Public Offices - 1905 — Page 382

"TINIS" "LUvament is" me "2roperty" "OF

As there is no mention of this in the Memorial published in the press, I suppesó it is either incomplete or that it is an entirely different document from your Excellency's Memorial. The introduction of a uniformu silver dollar is of no less importance than the uniformity of the copper coinage. As your Excellency is aware, Article II of the British Commercial Treaty of Shanghae provides that ---

"China agrees to take the necessary steps to provide for a uniform national coinage, which shall be legal tender in payment of all duties, taxes, and other obliga- tions throughout the Empire by British as well as Chinese subjects."

My Government is consequently greatly interested in this question, which is of such importance both to China herself and the countries concerned in her foreign trade, I am aware that your Excellency has been transferred from the Board of Revenue to another post, but I hope that the plans laid by you in that Department will be steadfastly carried out, and that you will afford me an opportunity of studying them by sending me copy of your Memorial as promised.

Í avail, &c.

CHINA TRADE.

CONFIDENTIAL.

No. 1.

375

[September 25.]

SECTION 3.

C

0.

36041

REC? REG 14 09.

Sir E. Satou to the Marquess of Lansdowne.~(Received September 25.)

(No. 280.)

Peking, August 8, 1905. My Lord,

I HAVE the honour to transmit to your Lordship herewith copy of a despatch which I have received from His Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghae, forwarding me a draft, published in the "Eastern Times," of the Gernian-Chinese Commercial Treaty,

I have, &c.

(Signed)

ERNEST SATOW.

(No. 58.) Sir,

Inclosure 1 in No. J.

Consul-General Sir P. Warren to Sir E. Sator.

Shanghae, July 24, 1905. I HAVE the honour to forward herewith, in duplicate, copy and translation of the draft Commercial Treaty between Germany and China, published in the "Eastern Times" ("Shih Pao") of the 12th and 17th July.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

PELHAM L. WARREN.

Inclosure 2 in No. 1.

Draft of Commercial Treaty between Germany and China.

(From the "Shih Pao" of July 12-17, 1905, copied from the "Ch'ao Jih Hsin Wen' of Osaka, which claims to have obtained it from a German source.)

(Translation,)

ARTICLE J.

THE Treaties concluded between the Chinese Government and the Governments of Great Britain and Ireland, the United States of America, Japan, and Portugal, all provide for the abolition of the system of taxation at present in force under the name of li-kin, and propose that only export and import duties shall be levied; but this provision is not to come into force until all the Treaty Powers have given their full assent thereto. As, therefore, all the Powers should assist in the decision of questions of this nature, the German Government, being strongly desirous that China should abolish entirely the li-kin system, now expresses its readiness to assist in the settlement of the question,

ARTICLE II.-Right of Residence.

German subjects and protected persons shall have the right to travel freely to and from all ports and other places in China already opened or hereafter to be opened to trade, to reside there and engage in trade, manufactures, or any other industrial occupation, and to buy or lease land and build houses.

ARTICLE III-Bonded Warehouses.

The Chinese Government proposes, with a view to consulting the convenience of merchants, to increase the facilities for warehousing goods in bond at the ports opened to trade so that imports from and exports to foreign countries may be classified and stored or prepared for shipment.

[2168 66-3]