336
The toast was drunk with much enthusiasm, which was increased by the appearance of Sergeant Menzies in Highland costume, who marched round the room playing the bagpipes.
tion
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Sir CLAUDE MACDONALD, in reply, said- Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I beg to thank you most heartily for the very kind and en- thusiastic manner in which you have drunk my health; also for the very cordial welcome which you have given me here to-night. This is the third time that I have had the great pleasure of meeting the China Association within the last few weeks-first, as you well know, in London, then again in Hongkong, and then again here to-night, and I for one can say that though their num- bers may be limited, as was stated in the speech in Hongkong, their kindly good feelings and cordiality are altogether without any limit whatever, and I am sure my friends here to night will agree with me in that. Gentlemen, in addressing the members of your Associa- in Hongkong I took the liberty of reminding them of the noble legacy which has been handed down to us here in the Far East by our forefathers. Gentlemen, it was not for me to remind them of this. Everything around us reminds us of it, the Straits Settlements, Penang, Singapore, Malac- ca, Hongkong, the Treaty Ports, and last, bat by no means loast, Shanghai. (Cheers.) And I ask, are we to sit down and see the glory pass by? I, for one, say, "No!" (Loud and prolonged cheering.) But if this is not to be, and it is not to be hear, hear), I say we must gird up our loins for the struggle that is before us-for the struggle that is now going on around us. There was a time when our supre macy here in the Far East was unchallenged. Gentlemen, those days have changed, and we have here very keen competitors in our Euro- pean neighbours. We must stand shoulder to shoulder, not in any spirit of selfishness or aggressiveness, but as one family, to uphold and extend the
noble legacy of which I have spoken. (Cheers.) So far as I myself am concerned, I can assure yon, gentle- men, that I am entering on the task, the difficult task, before me, with all my heart and soul, fully conscious that if I do what I consider -right and best for the general community I shall receive the cordial support of every in. dividual member. (Loud cheers.) Gentlemen, at the beginning of things I cannot enter into discussion with regard to the questions that are before me, and therefore I can only again thank you most heartily for the very, very, very kind way in which you have received the toast of my health to-night. (Loud applause, the company present rising and giving Three cheers and a tiger for Sir Claude MacDonald."}
In the case of
was
mer-
in cotton mills and other industrial factories, and there is some uncertainty as to the taxation of their products, and as the Japanese Com- mercial Treaty, which was expected to deal far from being con- with this matter, is eluded, foreign merchants feel that a speedy settlement of the question is very desir- able. Altogether independently of this Com mercial Treaty, industrial machinery imported under long existing Treaty rights, but for purposes of their own the Chinese authorities imposed many vexatious obstruc- tions against such importation. A test case was tried by a foreign firm, Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., and, thanks to the energies of Mr. Consul Jamieson and the support given by the British Minister, the obstruction of the Chinese officials was just about to be overcome, when the term of the Shimonoseki Treaty accidentally supplied them with the motive for giving way on all points at once. I men tion this point because it is mistakenly supposed that the importation of industrial machinery is due to the Japanese, but this is far from being the case, as it was due to our assertion of our just treaty rights, won many years ago, and on the same grounds we look for protection of our industries when in full working order, and that no advantages should be granted to native manufactories which are not equally allowed to those under foreign auspices, and we confidently hope that you, H.B.M.'s Minister, will firmly support our rights. chandise from the interior, the Treaties as they stand only provide for the application of the Transit Pass system to produce if boni fide in- tended for shipment to a foreign port, but in view of the starting of large manufactories at the ports, it is necessary that the privileges for Transit Pass be extended to produce brought from the interior for use in the factories; this pri- vilege has for some years been nominally ex- tended to the bringing down of silk cocoons to the Shanghai Filatures, but is entirely negatived by the imposition of a "growers tax," levied by the Chinese authorities on the producers or sellers in the interior, and which amounts to four or five times the amount of the likin! It is necessary that proper safeguards he taken against the levying of any such irregular taxation. The method of issuing Transit Passes now in vogue is one that hampers trade to a very great extent, but the Chamber have recently received a despatch on this question from the Diplomatic Body through the Board of Consuls, which unfortunately shows that the high Chinese authorities will concede facilities as desired, though a revision of the existing regulations is urgently needed. All we ask is that Transit Passes should be issued directly by the Commissioner of Customs, without the needless delay of having to apply to the Taotai. The Chamber have also addressed the Board of Consuls on the subjects of the River Conservancy and the Yangtsze Regulations, both of which have im- portant bearings on foreign trade, and foreign merchants look forward to the good offices of the Diplomatic Body in obtaining for them the reforms which they anxiously desire. I am lency that, after long delay, the Chamber have The CHAIRMAN, after introducing the mem. been able to make arrangements with the emi- bers of the Committee, said-The Committee of nent engineers, Messrs. Coode, Son and Mathew, the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with Sir Charles Hartley, to which consists of some of the leading Bankersand make a preliminary survey of the Woosung Merchants of various nationalities in this place, Bar, so that they will be able to lay before the have asked for an interview with your Excellency Chinese Government & comprehensive and in order that they may offer their congratula-practical scheme for the removal of a great tions on your appointment as British Minister at Peking, and to welcome your arrival în China, and at the same time we take the opportunity of bringing to your notice certain matters affecting the interests of this Settlement and its foreign trade. Wo have no desire to go into wearisome details or to elicit opinions from you on questions which must be as yet strange to your Excellency, but simply seek to have a friendly conversation on points upon which we are all interested, and about which we shall be pleased to give you any information you may desire. One of the most important questious affecting foreign trade is the Likin Tax levied by the Chinese, a subject which the Chamber has already laid before the Diplomatic Body, but quite recently foreigners of British and other nationalities have largely invested capital
**
INTERVIEW WITH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
any
no
On the 11th inst. Sir Claude MacDonald received at the residence of Sir Nicholas Hannen the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, consisting of Messrs. A. P. MacEwen (Chair- man), C. J. Dudgeon (Vice-Chairman), John Graham, A. Korff, W. D. Little, J. H. McMichael, D. M. Moses, E. B. Skottowe, and A. Wasserfall, and Drummond Hay, the Sec-glad to be in a position to inform your Excel- retary.
[April 23, 1896.
Revision of the Land Regulations : also a very important matter. Some twelve ago a draft of Revised Regulations was; warded to Peking, but was lost sight of by the Foreign Ministers and nothing has since been heard of them, though much time, care, and money were expended by the foreign community in drawing them up. The great change that, has taken place in the Settlement within the last few years has rendered a further revision necessary, and a draft of the proposed Regula tions will be forwarded to Peking shortly, the prin cipal object sought being that of obtaining for the Municipal Council better means of control of the Settlement; of furthering sanitary measures, and also of affording them power to widen the streets, and we sincerely hope that the newly Revised Regulations will meet with the ap- proval of the Foreign Ministers. The British postal authorities recently suggested that when the present mail contract with the P. & 0. Company expires in January, 1898, Hongkong should be made the terminal point instead of Shanghai and against this suggestion the Chamber has already protested as being calcu lated to materially affect not only British in- terests, but generally the foreign trade of this port. In drawing your Excellency's attention to these various points I would venture to point out that it is done with no selfish and exclusive object of preferring British in- terests to the disadvantage of others, for long experience has proved that measures which benefit British trade benefit that of all other nationalities, and we have not yet found that the Far East is too small for our joint and friendly commercial energies. Finally I have to thank your Excellency for allowing us the opportunity of meeting you and of speaking to you about these various questions which affect our commercial life, and will you permit me to add that we merchants are firmly of opinion that foreign trade would benefit greatly if we had more frequently an opportunity of meeting those who diplomatically represent our respec- tive countries in this Empire.
In reply Sir CLAUDE MacDonald thanked the Committee for the kind welcome extended to him and expressed his gratification at having an opportunity of being able to talk over with the Committee some of the important questions bearing on the foreign trade of Shanghai, but they would, of course, understand that these questions were new to him, so that he was not in a position to give any definite reply to them. The fact was, that on such points he was seeking information which the Chamber were in a posi tion to afford him. But of one thing they might rest assured, that when he reached Peking he would not lose sight of the various subjects laid' before him, but would make it his especial business to ascertain full particulars from his colleagues about all matters already put into their hands, and join energetically with them in pressing for needed reforms. He fully recognised that the question of likin was one of great magnitude, and it was difficult to say how it could be effectively dealt with without rousing' great opposition from the officials throughout the country, but he would do his utmost to support our treaty right. He was pleased to see it recognised that the recent official opposition to the importation of industrial machinery was overcome by British diplomatic action, and that foreigners were not indebted to the Japanese for this, as was mistakenly supposed. As regards transit passes, the complaints made against the system of issue in vogue were fully justified, and the difficulty in which merchants were placed had been lucidly explained to him. obstruction to the trade of this port, which inflicts on shipowners continual expense and is He should certainly consult his colleagues about a source of constant danger to navigation. A this matter on arrival at Peking and hoped proposal has already gone to Peking for the that they might succeed in obtaining the extension of the Settlement of Shanghai, which reasonable concessions demanded. As regarded is rendered necessary on sanitary grounds, and the necessity for the extension of the Settlement for proserving order and good government. he could see that for himself, and for sanitary It has been incontestably proved that the and other reasons it was no doubt necessary. Chinese appreciate our Municipal control, and He was pleased to have it explained to him owing to the enormous increase of the native that the proposed extension met with the population, there is a great danger of over-approval of the Foreign Ministers at Peking, crowding unless all buildings in the im- and therefore hoped it would be carried out mediate neighbourhood of the present Settle- before long. As regarded the British mail ment are placed under Municipal supervision; contract, after what was told him he could and the extension of the present limits is understand that it was not desirable that the so urgently needed that we hope the pro- terminal point should be Hongkong, and he posal made for it will receive all the sup- thought it would be as well for the Chamber to address him on the subject, and he would then port your Excellency can give it.
The
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