October 2, 1895.]
THE WATER SUPPLY.
(1st October.)
From to-day the colony is to be put on short allowance of water, to the great in convenience of the community and danger Ito the public health. The rainfall of last week has made only a trifling difference to the reservoirs, but it has set the streams running a little and will keep the springs supplied for some time. Although con- tinuous the rain was for the most part gentle and the Observatory reports give only 2.24 inches as the total for the five wet days. Such as it was, the break in the drought was very grateful, but the expectation that it would tide the colony over its difficulties and render the limitation of the water supply unnecessary was un- founded. We are now at the beginning of the dry season, with the reservoirs little more than half-full. In the last two years the reservoirs were full
at the end of October, yet there was a water famine before the end of the dry season. From this it will be seen how gloomy are our pre- sent prospects. In 1893 and again in 1894 the October rainfall amounted to between seventeeen and eighteen inches, but that
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
In con-
referred to, namely, (a) the entrance of foul air, foul liquids, and possibly disease germs into the water mains; (b) the growth of fungoids and corrosion in the pipes; (c) the undue wear and tear of the distribution system; (d) the difficulty of equitable distri- | bution of water throughout the waterworks area; (e) the waste of water; (f) the failure to provide efficient fire service. cluding his remarks under this heading he says that "it is worthy of consideration "whether, if restriction has to be adopted, "the best plan would not be to shut off all "house services, leaving the people to obtain "their water from public taps, temporarily " erected if necessary, in the manner adopted "in England during frosts." We would commend this recommendation to the serious attention of the Government at the present juncture. The cutting off of the house services in the Chinese quarters and wherever the meter system is not rigidly enforced appears an absolute necessity. If that measure were adopted the amount of water at present in storage would, there is good reason to believe, last the colony until the next rainy season commences.
HANGCHOW.
247
the illegal taxation which takes place. Any where beyond the Customs examination shed and the fifty acres or so which form the site of the foreign concession, foreign merchandise is liable to further imposts at the discretion of the provincial authorities, so that the import duty levied according to the treaty tariff can only be considered as a first instalment on account of the Central Government, while the provincial officials claim as much more as seems good to them. "If the “importer is a Chinaman, as in nine cases "out of ten he is, he pays his lekin and "other taxes before even landing his goods; "if a foreigner, the lekin spies very soon find "out on whose account the goods have been "imported, or to whom the foreigner sells "them, and the Chinaman is called upon to pay his tax often before the merchandise "has passed into his possession." Japanese proposed to make the abolition of lekin a condition of the Shimonoseki treaty, but yielded to the arguments brought for- ward by the Chinese and waived the demand. It is to be hoped, however, that the matter will be dealt with in some way in the commercial treaty, and that if the tax is not to be abolished it will at least be made a definite and fixed one, instead of cach
it can out of the goods that pass through.
i
RAILWAYS IN CHINA.
The
was exceptional, the ten years' average THE OPENING OF SOOCHOW AND squeeze station being allowed to make what being only 4.78 inches. On the doctrine of chances we can hardly hope for a repetition of such exceptional rainfall during the pre- sent month, and appearances are wholly against it as the north-east monsoon seems to have set in. We must hope for the best, however, and in the meantime husband our supplies so as to make them hold out as long as possible.
One good effect of the recent war between China and Japan will be the compulsory advance of the former in certain directions. As we have remarked on previous occasions there is little chance of the Chinese Govern- ment inaugurating any reform or under- taking any improvement unless it is seen to be imperative as a matter of state policy or self-preservation. Even under this whole- some stimulus progress in China will always, it is to be feed, be slow and very un- certain; but progress as the result of any influence is better than none at all or retrogression, which is the tendency under Manchu rule. It is more than half a decade since the construction of a system of rail- ways was first sanctioned by the EMPEROR, yet up to the present moment the only lines made_are the short railway to Tientsin from Taku and the military line to Shauhai- kwan. The far more important trunk line from the capital to Canton has not even been commenced, and it is probable that it will not be completed during the present. century. The construction of the line from Peking to the Yangtsze has, however, again been sanctioned and may possibly be inaugurated before long. Intelligence has now been received from Peking by our Shanghai morning contemporary to the effect that the EMPEROR recently gave his consent to a joint proposition of the Viceroy CHANG CH-TUNG and Governor CHAO of Soochow to connect that city with Shanghai by a railway. It is proposed, when this is com- pleted, to extend the line northward through The root of the difficulty, however, lies in
Wusich to Chinkiang, and thence westwards the unfortunate policy which has been
a branch is to be laid to Nanking. Our adopted of laying the water on to all But it is little use having ports nominally contemporary adds that a secret Decree has the Chinese houses. Had the former system opened if the squeeze system is allowed to been sent to the two high officials named in- of allowing the Chinese to draw their continue. As Mr. BYRON BRENAN says instructing them to commence work as soon supplies from street fountains been adhered his report on the trade of Canton, "Much to the colony would have been spared "is expected of the opening of new treaty the scarcities of the last few years and ports, but what would be a greater benefit to the calamity with which we are now our trade is the complete enjoyment of our threatened. From whatever point of" treaty rights at the ports already opened. view it be considered the policy adopted To the Chinese official mind, a port is open is a mistake. It renders necessary the when a foreign vessel may pass an ima- adoption of the intermittent system, ginary line on payment of certain duties, the evils of which Mr. CHADWICK very "In that sense Canton is open, but in no forcibly points out in his report already" other." Mr. BRENAN goes on to describe
According to the special report on Soochow and Hangchow included in the Legation report on the trade of China for 1894, foreigners are not likely to derive much direct benefit from the opening of those places. One or two shipping firms may open agencies, but there is little prospect of The Tytam reservoir has a gathering direct foreign trade conducted by foreign ground of 700 acres. The same stream at a merchants being established. The Japa- point lower down, where its bed is approxi- nese, being able to compete on more even mately 100 feet above the sea, has a gather- terms with the Chinese and being willing to ing ground of 1,490 acres, of which 700 engage in transactions which the European contribute to the existing Tytam reser- merchant would consider too petty to give voir. In his report last year, froin attention to, will no doubt find their profit which we take these particulars, Mr. in the opening of the new ports and flourish- CHADWICK Considered the various means of ing Japanese settlements may be expected to augmenting the supply and recommended spring up. But although the opening of that the Tytam dam should be at once new ports may not lead to the establishment raised to the utmost extent that appears of European firms, European merchants safe, and that the dry weather flow of the and manufacturers nevertheless derive sub- Tytam stream should be investigated with stantial benefit from the multiplication of a view to its complete utilisation if the points of contact. Such points facilitate results were favourable. It was decided to the distributing trade and increase its raise the dam of Tytam reservoir by 12 ft. volume, and though the distributers may be 6 in., increasing the storage capacity by Chinese the foreign manufacturers and mer- 78,000,000 gallons, and about half the work chants benefit correspondingly. If the was accomplished last winter. Unfor- whole of China were thrown open to foreign tunately the rainfall this season has trade no one would expect to see foreigners been insufficient to fill the reservoir | very largely established in the interior. The even to the extent of its original capacity. tendency of the foreign trade would still be The outlook, therefore, is a very black one. Would it not be possible at once to make. temporary arrangements for pumping from the stream below the Tytam dam? Even in the dryest season there is always some flow of water there and in the present emergency any addition to the available supply, however small, would be valuable.
to centre at Hongkong and Shanghai, with but increased transport facilities, freedom from squeezes, and the opportunities that would be afforded to Europeans of themselves watching the internal markets and studying their requirements, the volume of trade would be increased. The opening of auy new port is therefore to be welcomed as in itself a boon to trade even though it may not lead to the establishment of a single foreign firm.
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as. practicable. This newborn energy in favour of railroads on the part of the active CITANG CHIH-TUNG is due to the desire, it appears, on his part to forestall the Japa- nese, who are credited with the intention to demand the right to build a railway between Shanghai and Soochow and Haugehow as soon as the two latter ports are opened to foreign trade. By commencing the work themselves before the ports are open the
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