CO129-344 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1907 — Page 695

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Regulations in consultation with His Majesty's Consul-General at Canton and His Majesty's Consul at Wuchow.

I have the honour, therefore, to request that the Viceroy at Canton and the Governor of Kuangsi may be urged to bring these Regulations into conformity with Treaty stipulations, in consultation with His Majesty's Consular Representatives.

I avail, &c. (Signed)

J. N. JORDAN,

This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]

CHINA TRADE,

CONFIDENTIAL,

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632

[July 29.]

SECTION 4.

No. 1.

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received July 29.)

(Translation.) Sir,

Inclosure 10 in No. 1.

Prince Ch'ing to Sir J. Jordan.

Peking, 33rd 5th month, 1st day

year, (June 11, 1907).

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of your Excellency's note of the Sth instant.

[Quoted in full.]

The various

I would point out that Nanning is a port opened by China herself. Regulations should, therefore, be satisfactorily drawn up by the local officials themselves, and, after being sanctioned by the Board, be put into operation experimentally. There is no actual obligation to consult His Majesty's Consular authorities.

As regards Section 2, Article 1, which defines the boundaries, it is essential, since the place has been opened to foreign trade, that an area should be set apart for Chinese and foreign merchants to come together for trading purposes. It is precisely in the hope of attracting a numerous mercantile community that this has been done, and there has not been the slightest intention to obstruct.

The Board have addressed a communication to the Canton Viceroy and the Governor of Kuangsi, asking their Excellencies to investigate the circumstances and give due consideration, to these Regulatious, so as to make satisfactory arrangements as occasion arises.

In the meantime, I have the honour to reply to your Excellency's note, and avail, &c.

(No. 285.) Sir,

Peking, June 12, 1907. WITH reference to my despatch No. 249 of the 28th ultimo, I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a translation of a note which I have received from the Wai-wu Pu respecting the practice to be adopted in the case of foreign goods conveyed between the open ports and the recently-opened marts in the interior of Manchuria.

This practice, which has received the approval of the Wai-wu Pu, is described in telegraphic instructions from the Viceroy at Tien-tsin in his capacity of Superintendent of Trade for the Northern Ports to the Taotai as Superintendent of Customs at Newchwang, and is to the effect that foreign goods imported into Manchuria through ports open to foreign trade, having paid import duty, may be transported to and laid down in the inland marts free of further taxation, provided they are covered by exemption certificates in which the name of the mart has been inserted by the Imperial Maritime Customs at the port of entry; in other words, the marts are, so far as the taxation of foreign goods is concerned, placed on the same footing as other open ports in China, and the Native Customs will attend to the examination of the goods pending the establishment of offices of the Imperial Maritime Customs at marts where such do not now exist,

You will observe that the Viceroy's instructions omit all reference to methods of transit, and, as they are presumably applicable to cart as well as railway traffic, it appears to me that the time limit of one month for the return of the exemption certificates to the ports of issue, suggested by the Revenue Council as a check against sales en route, may prove to be inadequate in the case of the more distant marts; but I am forwarding a copy of the Wai-wu Pu's note to His Britannic Majesty's Consul- General at Mukden, with a request that he will furnish me with his views on this point.

I have, &c. (Signed)

J. N. JORDAN,

0

(Translation.)

Sir,

Inclosure in No. 1.

Wai-wu Pu to Sir J. Jordan.

Peking, Kuang Hsü, 33rd year, 4th month, 28th day (June 8, 1997).

IN a note dated the 25th ultimo the American Minister informed me that the Acting American Consul at Newchwang reported that li-kin was collected on foreign goods at Koupang-tzu when in transit by rail from Newehwang to Hsinmintun. The Acting Consul had requested the Commissioner of Customs at Newchwang to issue exemption certificates, but the Commissioner had declined to do so, as he was without definite information as to the opening of trade marts. Mr. Rockhill urged the Board to cause the Koupang-tzu li-kin office to be instructed to carry out Treaty provisions, and exempt foreign goods in transit from Newchwang to Hsinmintun by rail from payment of li-kin. His Excellency also requested that the Imperial Maritime Customs authorities at Newchwang should be directed to issue the exemption certificates applied for without delay, in order to free foreign goods in transit from one open port to another from every species of duty and li-kin charge, and expressed the hope that he might have a favourable reply at an early opportunity,

The Board were preparing their reply when they received a communication from the Revenue Council conveying a report from the Shanhaikuan Tantai to the Viceroy of Chihli stating that some days previously the Standard Oil Company had declined to pay li-kin on certain cases of kerosene oil on the railway between Newchwang and Hsinmintum upon arrival at the native Customs station at Koupang-tzu. The American Consul had

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