438
439
Establishment of Custome statione on new frontier.
( 12 )
exported from the Colony into China. The attitude of the merchants, both in Hongkong and in London, was uncompromising, and might fairly be summed up as a strong desire to see the Chinese Customs cleared bag and baggage out of the Colony and of Colonial waters.t
§ 10. The Inspector General's proposals were not accepted. The New Territory was handed over to the Hongkong Government in April 1899 by virtue of the Convention for the Extension of Hongkong, signed at Peking on 9th June 1898, and the Chinese Customs stations were closed on the 4th October that year. New duty-collecting stations were established at Taishan (A) and Liutin (1 1T), in the estuary of the Canton River, to replace Capsuimoon, and at Shaichung (M) and Samun (E), to the east of Mirs Bay, to replace Fotochow. Shumchun() was opened as a collecting station on 1st March 1900, and on 19th February of the following year Shatowkok (VI) was raised from the position of a frontier post to that of a collecting station. In addition, frontier guard posts, some of which have on occasion served also as collecting stations, had to be established along the land boundary. The number of these frontier posts has varied from time to time, but it includes, or has included, the following: Chekwan (), Kwaimiao (). Shatau (V), Lungtsunhu (龍 津墟),Lofong (羅 坊), Lowu (限制), Lintong (蓮塘), Shatowkok (沙頭角),Yimtin (), Kaichung (AM), Tipfuk (4), Hasha (F), and Namo (). This elongation of the land frontier was a great advantage to smugglers. Prior to 1899 the frontier was only about 2 miles in length and was protected by a stout bamboo feuce, some 8 feet high, along the entire line. This fence was pierced by six gates, and an armed patrol both by night and by day saw to it that only legitimate trade passed through these gates. After 1899 the frontier ran for some 60 miles through rough and hilly country from Chekwan on the west to Mirs Greatly increased Point on the east. To add to the difficulty of controlling this greatly extended line the waters Chinese Customs of the Shumchun River were declared to be British, while the boundary along the shores of Deep Bay and Mirs Bay was delimited at the high-water mark. This enabled smugglers to lie protected in British waters within a yard or so of Chinese territory and as it was manifestly impossible for the Chinese Government to provide preventive officers to guard every junk-to slip their goods ashore practically when and where they pleased. The Chinese Customs office, however, in the city of Victoria, for the convenience of the trading public, was allowed to remain where it was, but on the old status of sufferance only. Revenue cruisers and cruising launches continued to patrol Chinese waters and to make use of Hongkong harbour as ships of war, but the sea-line now to be patrolled was perforce extended from a little over 20 to some 80 miles, a fact which also rejoiced the hearts of the smuggling fraternity.§
difficulties of
control.
§ 11. Relations between the Colony and the Chinese Customs remained practically in this position for the next 10 years, but the decade was marked by a characteristic incident. In 1902 negotiations were proceeding between Great Britain and China for a new commercial
* British Parliamentary Papers: China No. 1 (1899), p. 297.
† Vide "Hongkong Daily Press," 9th, 10th, and 15th September 1898; also Custome publications: Office Serica, No. 62. Kowloon Customs" (Shanghai, 1899).
Hertalet, op. cit., Vol. I, pp. 120, 121.
Vide Map, facing p. 1.
( 13 )
1902.
duties on goorla
steamer.
treaty. This treaty, inter alia, was to provide for a revision of the import tariff to bring the rates up to an effective 5 per cent. duty-the first actual revision of China's import tariff for over 40 years-and to arrange for other tariff' changes, especially in regard to the levy of likin The Colony became apprehensive that its growing trade might be adversely affected by such changes. In the years preceding the Opium Agreement of 1886, as we have seen, Hongkong merchants and officials were indignant that the Chinese authorities levied higher duties on junk-borne cargoes to and from Hongkong-a foreign place-than they did on such cargoes to and from Macao, at that time Chinese territory.* China, although within her rights in making such levies, had removed the grievance by granting the wished-for concession in the Agreement of 1886, and Hongkong trade had benefited accordingly. Now, however, the Hongkong merchants, having reaped the advantage of the lowered junk rates, were fearful lest these lower rates should affect adversely the carrying trade in foreign steamers between Hongkong and the treaty ports in the province of Canton, when a higher import tariff on foreign goods going into China, and possible alterations in the likin procedure, were about to be put into force. Accordingly, an article was inserted in the so-called Mackay Treaty, signed at Shanghai on Mackay Treaty, 5th September 1902, to the effect that "duties and likin combined levied on goods carried by Article equalising junks from Hongkong to the Treaty Ports in the Canton Province and vice versa, shall together whether carried not be less than the duties charged by the Imperial Maritime Customs on similar goods carried by junk or by by steamer." This article, although designed for a specific purpose, was in effect a recognition of the principle that the amount of taxation to be levied on goods should not vary with the mode of conveyance, a principle which, in these days of greatly increased Maritime Customs tariff rates, has a wider significance than probably was intended by the framers of the article. Another event happening in this decade, which was destined to affect vitally the relations Imperial Edict of
September 1906 between the Colony and the Chinese Customa, was the Imperial Edict of 20th September 1906 ordering gradual ordering that within a period of 10 years the evils arising in China from both foreign and native opium were to be completely eradicated.† This led to domestic coercive measures on the part of the Chinese Government for the suppression of the production and use of the home-grown article and to an agreement with the British Government for the gradual reduction and eventual extinction of the import of the drug from India. Such an arrangement could not but have an adverse reaction on the Colony's revenue. Happily, thanks largely to the genial personality Hongkong of Mr. W. R. McD. Parr, who was Commissioner of Customs for the Kowloon district from November 1904 to September 1908, the relations between the Chinese Customs and the obtains help of Hongkong Government had lost much of their former official stiffness, so that when the Colonial in organising Government decided to tax alcohol and spirits§ in order, if possible, to make good the revenue of alcohol and that was being forfeited by the cessation of the opium trade it was felt to be natural that the spirits. Colony should seek China's assistance in the matter. Hongkong's necessity, in fact, became
* Macao was never officially recognised by China as Portuguese territory till the signing of the Protocol of Lisbon of 1887, the articles of which were confirmed by the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Portugal and China, signed 1st December 1887 (ride Chinese Customs publications: "Treaties, Conventions, etc., between China and Foreign States," Second Edition (2 vols., Shanghai, 1917), Vol. 11, pp. 273. 275)-
+ British Parliamentary Papers: China No. 1 (1908), p. 1.
↑ Ibid., pp. 14, 17, 21, 29, 45, 47, 48. MacMurray, J. v. A.: "Treaties and Agreements with and concerning China'
(2 vols., New York, 1921), Vol. I, 861-866,
$ Hongkong Ordinances No. 27 of 1909 and No. 9 of 1911.
cessation of
opium trade.
Government requests and
Chinese Customes
eyetem of bonding
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