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October 10, 1895.]
Consuls he would be considerably benefit ing the cause he represented." Another passage in Mr. CURZON's speech is also worthy of special notice. One of the previous speakers had expressed the hope that the era of laissez faire in the diplomatic conduct of our commercial affairs had passed. With that sentiment Mr. CURZON said he entirely agreed, and proceeded —“At the same time there was a consideration on the other side which they ought to bear in mind. If they contemplated
CHINA, OVERDAND TRADE REPORT.
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very largely by the construction of the line there can be no doubt, and the enterprise in course of time would become self-supporting, but the line is not quite an undertaking that would attract private capital in the absence of a state guarantee.
While commercial bodies at home are agitating for a railway from Burmah to Yunnan with a view to the extension of trade it is singular that the project for the opening of the West River,
mercial conquest of the world that com- rather than to official encouragement, that benefit trade in a much "hich would
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claimed to have made, it had been made not by the "protection or activity of Governments, but by the intrepidity and enterprise of their individual traders. (Hear, hear.) It was "the duty and should be the pleasure of a “Government to sustain and stimulate the "efforts of their traders to hold their own, "but more depended upon maintaining the features of their national character which "had made them what they were than upon any artificial support Government Consuls or diplomats could give." These very sensible remarks appeared to commend themselves to the approval of the House of Commons and we have no doubt-they will commend themselves equally to the judg- ment of the commercial communities of the Far East.
were required to spend a few months in visit- ing the chief centres of industry at home, to place themselves in direct communication with the Chambers of Commerce, and to study the conditions of the various branches of industry with a view to promoting trade with the district in which, their Consulates are situated. England's commercial greatness, however, has been built up by the en- terprise and sagacity of her merchants, and, as Mr. CURZON says, it is to that,
degree, we must look for future advancement. should be regarded with 80 muel That these qualities are not yet dead is apathy. Here we have a trade already shown by the fact that the Blackburn several times larger than the Burmah trade Chamber of Commerce has taken the initia and with capabilities of very great ex- tive in promoting a commercial mission to pansion, all that it requires being freedom China with the object of studying the econo- from the oppressive restrictions which con- mic conditions of that country as a field for a fine it within its present limits. It does not greatly extended British trade. Mr. HIB call for a capital of five million pounds or BERT, on whose motion the resolution for for any state guarantee of interest. With the appointment of the mission was passed, the removal of the prohibition of steam referred to "the constant complaint of our navigation and the abolition of the squeeze Consuls, in almost every part of the world, system a large fleet of steamers would soon "of the great apathy and indifference shown be employed on the West River and trade by British traders in general in trying to would show an immediate and rapidly in- "develop the trade in their different dis- creasing improvement, to the great advan- "tricts."
This apathy and indifference, tage of the foreign manufacturer, the native which has been so great, in China as to lead consumer, and the Chinese Government. to the replacement of British mer-The commercial mission being sent out at chants by German, may be regarded the instance of the Blackburn Chamber of we hope as but a passing phase, but Commerce will doubtless recognise the im- if it is due to the Consular reports that portance of this trade route and urge its the people at home have had their opening. All that is requisite is that Great eyes opened to the necessity of sending Britain should make the demand and insist out technical experts to study the market upon it. France, there is good reason to then the Consuls have rendered a great pub- believe, has used her influence to in- lie service. We have little faith in the duce the Peking Government to refuse the commercial attaché system, but the advan-demand when it has been made on former oc- tages to be derived from such missions as casions, and she would doubtless do so again, that promoted by the Blackburn Chamber because her policy is to shut British trade of Commerce could not well be over- out of South-western China; but the British estimated, The commercial attaché could Government ought to be able to brush not be an expert in every branch of aside opposition of that kind as readily as trade, but it is by experts that brushing away a fly. the markets should be studied. If the Chambers of Commerce at home specially in- terested in particular industries would from time to time send out missions on the lines of that proposed by the Blackburn Chamber we would soon see an improvement in the volume of trade.
So far as this part of the world is con- cerned we fail to see what advantage would be secured by the appointment of commercial attachés. Every Consul is supposed to dis- charge the duties that would fall to the lot of a commercial"attaché and on the whole they discharge them very well and merit the encomium passed upon their reports by Mr. CURZON. If the Consuls were called by another name it would make no differ- ence to the character of their work. But, it may be said, the idea is not to appoint a commercial attaché for every port, but a single one for the whole of the Far East, whose duty it would be to collect informa tion from the Consuls and from other sources, collate it, and place it before the Govern- ment for publication. That function is already discharged by the Secretaries of Legation, and the recent report of Mr. BEAUCLERK, the Secretary of Legation at Peking, extracts from which recently ap- peared in our columns, was as excellent ‘a report as could reasonably be desired and THE BURMAH-CHINESE RAILWAY when opposed to the Japanese army, their
011
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would have done credit to any officer whether calling himself a commercial attaché or by any other title. The valuable special report
Soochow and Hangchow which Mr. BEAUCLERK em bodied in his report was compiled by Mr. JAMIESON, the Acting Consul-General at Shanghai, and it shows that Mr. JAMIESON is well qualified to report on commercial in- terests in his district. So far as the Far East is concerned, therefore, we would re- gard a commercial attaché as a superfluity, the work that would devolve úpon him be- ing already efficiently discharged. We do not say there is no room for improvement, but we think improvement can be as well effected under the present system as under a system of commercial attachés. Where would the commercial attaches come from? It could hardly be expected that successful merchants would be found willing to give up their business pros- pects in order to accept a salary from the state, and, on the other hand, if young men are to be specially trained for the work the training that the Consuls receive and their constant association with the mercan- tiles communities at the different ports may be regarded as adapting them fairly well for it. It might not be a bad thing if the Con- suls when they take their periodical leave
AND THE WEST RIVER.
The survey and estimates for the Burmah- Chinese railway are now in course of preparation, as stated in the letter of the Foreign Office to the Leeds Chamber of Commerce. It does not necessarily follow that the railway will be immediately built. According to the estimate of the gentleman who originally suggested that the Leeds Chamber should make representations to the Government on the subject, the cost of the proposed line would be about five millions sterling and if the Government gave a guarantee the liability for interest at three per cent, would amount to only £150,000 per annum. On the other hand we have the fact that the present annual value of the trade between Burmah and South-western China is a good deal less than a quarter of a million sterling. The railway would not pay its working expenses on the basis of the present trade, which would have to be increased twenty fold before anything in the shape of a dividend could be looked for. Whether the trade would r pidly increase to that extent is problematical, and if the Go- vernment decide to construct the line it will presumably be more for political than com- mercial reasons. That trade would benefit
I
CHINA'S ABILITY TO SUPPRESS. REVOLT.
ile
Feeble as the Chinese Imperial Govern- ment are in an administrative sense, and weak as their military system has been, proved to be by it ignominious collapse
resources are undoubtedly considerably in advance of those possessed by the Emperor HIEN FUNG when the Taiping Rebellion desolated the central provinces of the Em- pire. At that time most of the Chinese "braves" were armed with long spears, bows and arrows, and the clumsy gingal. Of discipline there was absolutely none, and any rabble rout, so long as they possessed similar weapons, were almost as effective in a fight as the best of the Imperial troops. Indeed the victory in most cases rested mainly with the leader, even if nominally unversed in the art of war, whose tactics were the best. Sometimes it remained with the defending force, if they were well entrenched behind walls and possessed a good supply of food. The Taipings never attained to any thing better than an undisciplined horde, poorly armed, rudely led, and for the most part ill supplied. Yet they for some years not only carried all before them, laying waste the country like locusts, but defeating the Imperial troops even where the latter had more advantageous positions. It was only when the Ever Victorious " Army was organised first under WARD and then under GORDON that the tide was turned, and the insurgents were checked in their onward career of destruction and despoilment of the land. Since that time, however, the Imperial Government have at least learned
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