[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
CHINA TRADE.
CONFIDENTIAL.
140
[April 20.]
SECTION 3.
(12737]
(No. 106.) Sir,
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received April 20.)
Peking, March 4, 1907. WITH reference to my despatch No. 4 of the 3rd January, I have the honour to inclose copy of a despatch from His Majesty's Consul-General at Canton, in which he submits for my consideration a set of proposed Rules to deal with the local difficulties connected with the launch traffic on the Canton and West Rivers.
I have informed Mr. Mansfield that the regulation of British vessels engaged in inland navigation will be the subject of subordinate legislation which is now under your consideration. With the exception of Rules 3 and 5, the penalties mentioned in which could not be enforced without the special sanction of His Majesty's Government, I have authorized him to use his discretion in putting his proposed Rules into operation locally as a purely provisional measure, and to cancel the Certificate of Registry in any case of wilful breach.
I have, &c. (Signed) J. N. JORDAN.
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
(No. 12.) Sir,
Consul-General Mansfield to Sir J. Jordan.
Canton, February 5, 1907. REFERRING to my despatch No. 51 of the 17th December, 1906, I have the honour to report that I have made careful inquiry into the existing state of matters with regard to launches flying the British flag and running under Inland Water Steam Navigation Rules.
The list published by the Imperial Maritime Customs on the 1st instant gives 245 as the total number of launches holding Inland Water Certificates, made up as follows-
Chinese
British
French
German
American
170
45
26
2
2
245
Total
Seven more British and a few Chinese launches are registered at Samshui and Wuchow, The Chinese launches are all heavily taxed for licences, &c., the amount paid by them being, I understand, nearly 1,000 taels per annum, and some of them pay, besides, large sums for monopolies of certain sections of the waterways. Launches under foreign flags are, of course, exempt from these taxes and are not bound to recognize any monopolies. Hence, the native launches are heavily handicapped against their foreign competitors, and it follows that the protection of foreign flags is a greatly coveted boon.
Of British launches, twenty odd are registered as the property of C. T. Fisher, a half-caste British subject, who is also agent for ten more, the property of Companies in Hong Kong. The inquiry into the piracy of the "Feinam," the Minutes of which were forwarded to you in my despatch No. 3, to which reference has already been made, indicated a most unsatisfactory state of things. It appears that Fisher was in the habit of chartering his launches to Chinese for a fixed monthly sum, and as long as the payment of this was forthcoming he took no further interest in the launch, the charterers engaging crew, paying for coal, and repairs, and deciding on
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