CO129-334 - Governor Nathan - 1906 [5-7] — Page 579

جا

573

10.

I may here mention that the millesimal fineness

of the Chinese coins is practically the same as ours, the

mean result of analysis of 23 of these coins made by two

different analysts being to show the presence of 800.08

parts of silver in 1,000 parts of metal, the fineness of

the Hongkong coins as laid down by proclamation being 800.

The millesimal fineness of the dollar being 900 there

seems no reason why both the Hongkong and Chinese subsidiary

coins should not fall to a discount of 10%. At present the

discount on the former is 6 to 64, and on the latter 746 74.

11.

On the assumptions that there is no further

production of Hongkong subsidiary coinage and that the

provision by China of a uniform national coinage in accord-

ance with Article II of the British Commercial Treaty sign-

ed at Shanghai on the 5th. September,1902, is indefinitely

postponed, three things may happen in the future:-

(土).

The Canton mint may continue issuing new

subsidiary coins of the present millesimal fine-

ness. In this case they will fall to and remain

at a 10% discount to the empoverishment of the

people in the Kwang Provinces whose boardings consisting of and earnings paid in these coins

will have lost a tenth of their value. The de-

crease in buying power of these people will con-

tinue to injuriously affect the trade of Hongkong.

The Hongkong subsidiary coins will remain at a

slightly less discount in Hongkong where the

non