April, 15, 1896.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
believe, never got as far as Changsha | leading citizens would take the initiative in even, and the demands of the Minister, reviving the movement it would have every if ever they were made, were curtly prospect of success. Some such organisation | and contemptuously refused by the Tsung- is now an imperative necessity if progress is li Yamen. France may bluster and whine, to be made in the cause of local reform. but, like the British Foreign Minister, she Hitherto Mr. WHITEHEAD has been left to is always ready to turn her check to the work almost alone ;ihe has had the sympathy smiter, if it be a distant Power and dif- and moral support of his fellow citizens, but ficult to reach. The Peking Government has received little practical assistance. It have, through their Ambassadors abroad, cannot be expected that he should continue taken the measure of the Western Powers, to carry on the work single handed. While and know that they can go very far indeed he was on leave in England he employed a in the shape of both insult and injury before great part of his vacation in interviewing the any of the Powers can be moved to effective officials of the Colonial Office and members reprisals. The humiliating back down of Parliament and in writing to the press, but made by France after vainly endeavouring now that he is back in Hongkong, with his to capture Formosa, and the weak acquies own business to attend to, it would be almost cence of Russia in the repudiation by impossible for him to carry on the voluminous Peking of the treaty concluded by CHUNG correspondence likely to be required for How, had confirmation been necessary, the prosecution of a successful campaign would have confirmed them in their convic in Parliament and the press on behalf of tion that the Western nations were, after the colony's claim to be allowed to manage all, very powerless at long distances. So its own domestic affairs. Mr. WHITE- long as concerted action was possible there HEAD requires the assistance of a Rate- was some chance of foreign interests being payers' Association, or Reform Committee, in a degree maintained; but now, when or some such body, with a secretary whose every Minister plays off his own bat and has time would be available for the work virtually no force at his back, neither of correspondence aud who should be ade- satisfaction for injuries suffered nor con-quately remunerated for his services. When cessions to trade are likely to be gained. the object aimed at is attained the necessity The Chinese Government lost their fear of for such an association will cease to exist, foreigners many years ago, and they are but while the campaign is in progress funds now losing all respect for them. The for carrying it on and the combined exertions disgraceful scramble for contracts, the at- of all who take an interest in it are urgently tempts of different Ministers to outbid the required. As Mr. G. B. DonWELL and others for small favours and advantages Mr. G. W. F. PLAYFAIR took the lead have unquestionably lowered the prestige in presenting the address of welcome to Mr. of Western Powers generally and ren- WHITEHEAD, thanking him for the able dered diplomacy at Peking # most manner in which he had dealt with the arduous and unthankful, if not im- subject of extended local self-government possible, calling. Nor are matters likely to during his vacation, it would be appropriate be mended by the adulation exhibited that they should take the fead also by the French authorities at Saigon in promoting some organisation to assist to His Excellency Li HUNG-CHANG. It is him in the further carrying on of that stated that he was received with royal work. honours. And for what? Because he is
If a formal organisation should for any reason be deemed undesirable or objec- tionable it is to be hoped that at least the colony will make itself heard at home by a petition against, the curtailment of popular privileges in connection with the proposed reconstruction of the Sanitary Board and asking that instead of those privileges being curtailed they should be extended in such form as to give the colony a Municipal Council and an unofficial majority in the Legislative Council, subject of course to the paramount control of the Imperial Govern- ment in all matters of Imperial interest. Of these two reforms we regard a Municipal Council as being of much more practical
the richest man in the Chinese Empire, rich from the spoils of office, the fruit of cor- ruption unparalleled? Or because he is the incarnation of all the worst faults of the venal Chinese mandarin? Because having had exceptional advantages and opportunities of helping on reform he has used them all for his personal aggrandisement and enrich- ment? With characteristic perfidy he slew the Taiping leaders after pledging his word to GORDON to spare them. After all his many and deep obligations to foreigners, be it was who vowed to reduce the European residents at Shanghai to the condition of the Portuguese at Macao and it was not his fault that he failed to succeed in this self-importance to the colony than an unofficial imposed task.
HON. T. H. WHITEHEAD'S REPLY
TO THE ADDRESS OF ·
WELCOME.
The Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD is to be congratulated on his able reply to the address of welcome tendered to him on his return to the colony after his recent holiday. The reply contains an exhaustive review of the reform movement in Hongkong and it would be well if it could be distributed broadcast amongst the members of both Houses of Parliament and the press of Great Britain. Work of this kind, however, should not fall on Mr. WHITEHEAD per- sonally. The time has come for a resuscita tion of the Ratepayers' Association. Into the reasons which operated against the growth and development of the Association when started a few years ago it is unnecessary to enter now; suffice it to say that those reasons no longer exist, and that if a few of our
majority in the Legislative Council, because the Municipal Council would be endowed with executive functions, whereas the Legislative Council although it makes the laws has nothing to do with their administra- tion, and it is control of the executive in so far as concerns purely local matters that the ratepayers should aim at. Au unofficial majority in the Legislative Council would, however, in itself be valuable, and Mr. WHITEHEAD seen's when at home to have been almost within a hair's breadth of securing for us, if not a majority of unofficial members, at least a considerable accession to their strength, and also the representation of the unofficial element on the Executive Council. He saw Lord RIPON thrice and at the first interview His Lordship promised, according to Mr. WHITEHEAD's understanding, that two more unofficial members would be ap- pointed to the Legislative Council; at a later meeting he seemed less decided, but promised that two unofficial members would be appointed to the Executive Council, and
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also pledged himself to most favourably re- consider the claim for the appointment of two more unofficial members to the Legisla ture; but nothing has been done. The struggle has to be carried on under great disadvantages on the part of the colony, because, as Mr. WHITEHEAD points out in his reply to the address of welcome, "The worst feature is that we are unable to "ascertain upon what grounds the local "Government have opposed our petition or "for what reasons the Colonial Office staff "have joined forces with them. There is au absolute refusal to produce the cor- respondence, which disables us from meet- ing the arguments against us, either by denial, by explanation, or by concession." There is all the more reason therefore why the community should stand united and cordially support their doughty champion Mr. WHITEHEAD in the conflict he is waging under such unfair conditions.
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THE MILITARY CONTRIBUTION,
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The recently published memorandum on the military contribution submitted by the unofficial members of the Legislative Council for the consideration of the Secretary of State appears to be somewhat weakened in the force of its argument by too great re- finement. The home Government will not trouble itself to split fractions with the colony in order to secure nicety of adjust- ment in connection with the levy of 17 per cent. on our revenue. This levy, it has been decided, is to be made on the gross reveune of the colony, less premia on land sales. The point to be contended for is that municipal revenue should be excepted and to that the whole force of the attack should be directed. As to small amounts entered as revenue which do not represent bona fide receipts, that is a question of bookkeeping which should be seen to by the local Gov. ernment. If the approval of Downing Street is necessary for any change to be made in the system of keeping the accounts in order to arrive at truer results it would
no doubt be readily granted if applied for, but to pick out this or that item as being properly exempt from computation in con- nection with the military contribution, except on the one ground that it is part of the municipal revenue, or, as in the case of the postal revenue, that it is not all colonial, seems calculated to divert attention from the main point at issue. The unofficial members, in addition to claiming exemption for the municipal revenue, claim that the 17 per cent. should be calculated on the general re- venue of the colony less the amount re- cently raised to defray the military contri- bution itself, otherwise the colony is paying not only on its ordinary revenue but in addition on the amount of extra revenue specially raised to defray the military cou- tribution itself. We do not think there is any probability of this claim being admitted. There is no special tax raised to provide funds for the payment of the military contribution.
What the claim amounts to, therefore, is that from the total revenue 17 per cent. should in the first place be deducted and that 17 per cent. should then be levied on the remainder for the military contribution. It is much the same as if it were claimed that in comput- ing the amount of income tax or probate duty payable in any particular case an amount equivalent to the amount of the tax should first be exempted and the tax be levied only on the sum remaining. That is quite a novel view in finance and although there may be much to be said in its favour
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