Directory_and_Chronicle_1910 — Page 820

SHANGHAI

833

The administration of the Salt Gabelle, a monopoly of the Central Government, has ever been unpopular in China, and with the relaxation of a strong administration in any of the provinces, one of the first symptoms is sure to be a revival of an organised system of salt smuggling, often encouraged secretly by over-greedy officials desirous of illegal gain. There has at all times existed a considerable amount of clandestine salt manufacture on the northern shore of Hangchow Bay. Its existence is well known to the provincial authorities, who, however, have not the means nor the desire to provide an adequate coastguard to effectually repress it. The proprietors of these illegal salines are in touch with a widely-organised band of ruffians, who dominate the Pootung country, and are a constant source of trouble to the police of the Foreign Settlements. Under the administration of the Ex-Viceroy, Cleo Fu, and his then lieutenant, the Taotai Yuan, these bands of salt smugglers grew in numbers and audacity, and have so far advanced their organisation as to reach to the west of the T'ai Hu. As in carrying the salt from the coast to the interior they must of necessity cross the river above or below the Foreign Settlements, nominally the stream is guarded by the River Police, mainly composed of a small body of foreigners under the orders of the Maritime Customs: they are, however, few in number for the distance to be guarded, and. moreover, by the express order of the high Chinese officials are not permitted to carry arms, while the smugglers are well armed and organised. Although it is no part of the business of the Municipal Police to undertake the thankless task of protecting the Imperial Revenue, they are occasionally called on to intervene when some outrage worse than usual takes place on the outskirts of the Settlements. Cases of this sort have of late become rather numerous, many cases of murder, of gouging out of eyes, and of mutilation having occurred in the immediate suburbs; and so complete is the terrorism that in few cases have the actual culprits been successfully traced, the country people not daring to give evid ence. Under these circumstances, at the annual ratepayers' meeting in 1906, the Municipal Council were ordered to increase the force of Sikh Police to a thousand men. In a few cases where the perpetrators of these outrages have been arrested and brought before the Mixed Court, every possible means have been brought to bear to defeat the ends of justice by inadequate sentences, or by procuring that the accused should, under one pretext or other, be sent to the City Court for judgment; the almost invariable result in the latter event being that in a month or so the prisoner has been permitted to escape to renew his depredations.

It was to these disturbers of the law that, in December, 1905, as mentioned on page 830, the provincial officials made their appeal at what they alleged to be attempts to interfere with the dignity of the Lord of the Soil. As a fact of course the Munici- pality has shown itself all through more regardful of the Imperial interests than the Provincial authorities. It is only necessary to refer to the pages of the Peking Gazette within the last two years to understand the dangerous state of disorder existing in the lower Province. Unfortunately the headquarters of the Smuggling Association are in the immediate vicinity of the Foreign Settlements, and though very willingly the Municipality would prefer not being in any way forced into contact with any of the political parties of the State, with which it has no concern, the case becomes different when the lives and properties of the residents with which it is charged are endangered.

FINANCES

The Ordinary Revenue of the "Anglo-American" Settlement for 1908 amounted to Tls. 2,403,164 and was derived from the following sources :--

Land Tax, six-tenths of 1 per cent. less 20 per cent. General Municipal Rates, Native Houses, 12 per cent....

Do.

Do.

do. on houses beyond Settlement limits, C per cent. General Municipal Rates, Foreign Houses, 12 per cent....

do. on houses beyond Settlement limits, 6 per cent. Licences, principally vehicles, and opium shops Dues on Merchandise

Rent of Municipal Properties

***

Contribution from Public Gas Companies

Tls. 685,104.54

635,756.54

10,512.08

453,659.88

10,451.72

39,357.34

157,957.04

40,180.22

18,184.80

Tls. 2,403,164,16

The Revenue for 1908 was the highest on record, although it fell short of the Budget estimate by Tls. 26,756, chiefly owing to the continued depression in trade un- favourably affecting the receipts from Wharfage Dues