734
SHANGHAI
1863, and after it the complete suppression of the Taiping Rebellion, was due. Later, in 1900, when the Emperor was a prisoner in his own palace, and the insurgent troops of Prince Tün and T'ung Fu-siang were actually besieging Peking, it was the loyal conduct of the Nanking Viceroy, the late Liu K'wen-yi, backed up by the loyalty of the Chinese residents in the Foreign Settlements, that finally brought about the restoration of order in the North, and saved the Empire from extinction and partition. These things were per- fectly well understood by a long run of distinguished statesmen, who in turn held for half a century the reins of power at Nanking. In this category we may include such illustrious for their loyalty, as the late Tseng Kwoh-fan and Liu K'wen-yi. It was not, indeed, till the advent in 1904 of a reactionary Viceroy, who, under the specious pretext of seeking to restore the dimmed prestige of the Imperial Court, was really de- sirous of recommencing an anti-foreign campaign, with all the methods of the eighteenth century, that any interruption of the previous good relations took place. Under him an cqually reactionary Taotai was appointed and a system of petty attempts at inter- ference was at once inaugurated. The methods were worthy of the men, who did not hesitate to call to their aid the elements of disorder always to be found beneath the sur- face in China.
names,
·
The administration of the Salt Gabelle, a monopoly of the Central Government, had 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 manu- facture 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 effectually to 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, Cheo 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 com- posed of a small body of foreigners under the orders of the Maritime Customs: they are, however, few in number for tlie 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 Chinese 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 became so numerous, many cases of murder, of gouging out of eyes, and of mutilation occurring in the immediate suburbs, that at the annual ratepayers' meeting in 1906 the Municipal Council were ordered to increase the force of Sikli Police to a thousand men.
FINANCES
The Revenue for 1920 was the highest on record. The growth of the Settlement is shown by the rise during the past twenty-nine years in the chief sources of Municipal Revenue, namely:-Land Tax, Tls. 54,645 to Tls. 1,056,641; Foreign House rate, Tls. 44,477 to Tls. 912,239; Native House rate, Tls. 104,740 to Tls. 1,276,449; Wharfage dues, Tls. 64,322 to Tls. 365,297; and Licence fees, Tls. 109,559 to Tls. 627,567.
The Ordinary Revenue of the "Anglo-American" Settlement for 1920 amounted to Tls. 4,823,483.03 and was derived from the following sources:-
Land Tax, six-tenths of 1 per cent. and seven-tenths of 1 percent. Tls. 1,056,641.99 General Municipal Rates, Foreign Houses, 14 per cent....
•
...
...
...
Do. do. on houses beyond Settlement limits, & per cent. General Municipal Rates, Native Houses, 12 per cent.
Do. do. on houses beyond Settlement limits, 6 per cent. Special Advertisement rate
Licences, principally vehicles and bars Dues on Merchandise
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Rent of Municipal Properties, Markets, etc. Revenue from Public and Municipal Undertakings
...
...
...
...
870,277.03 41,962. 28 1,268,914. 24
7,534. 15 1,484.76 627,566.34
...
365,297.02
...
...
**
...
...
126,787.32 457,018.20
Tls. 4,823,483.03
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.