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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
objected to, which is singular, in view of the strenuous opposition Singapore has of fered in the past to the military contribu- tion root and branch. After a long and acri- monious discussion an agreement was arrived at by which the colony was to pay 17 per cent. of its revenue, instead of a fixed sum in sterling, and with that our Singapore friends professed themselves fairly well satisfied; but a new and important question is raised by the Bill now brought forward, and one on which we should have expected the un- officials would have had a good deal to say. That question is, whether the 17 per cent. is to be regarded as a payment in full dis- charge of all Imperial obligations or whether it is to be appropriated to one specific purpose and the door to be left open to pecuniary demands for other specific purposes. As originally drafted the Bill provided that the 17 per cent. should be deemed to be a fixed contribution payable by the colony "in full "return for its defence," but as amended by the Secretary of State it reads in full "return for the annual cost of the Imperial garrison." As remarked by the Straits Times, it is to be observed that Sir CHARLES MITCHELL'S Bill would have made it incon- venient for the Home Government to ask the colony to contribute any further sums, as, for instance, in aid of the naval votes, whereas the Secretary of State's Bill_ob- viously leaves it open for the Home Goy- ernment to say, "Yes, you are paying in "aid of the Imperial garrison and now we "want you to pay something in aid of the Imperial Navy. If it be urged that a demand for a Naval contribution is an im- probability, the reply is that the alteration made by the Secretary of State must have some purpose and signification and it can only be interpreted as a saver of the assumed rights of the Imperial Government to make further demands. In Hongkong the understanding was most definite that the 17 per cent. should be regarded as pay- ment in full and if the Bill when it is intro- duced does not give effect to that under- standing it will be the duty of the unofficial members to oppose it on principle even though they do so with the consciousness that they have no chance of success. At Singapore the Straits Times deprecated op- position, the Free Press preserved silence, and the unofficial members appear to have thought they had had enough of the mili- tary contribution question. The Straits Times thinks it “doubtful whether the colony cares twopence about the matter. "The colony is chiefly indifferent on the subject. It is rather sick of military con- "tribution discussions, and is probably con- "tent to let the matter pass;" and this appears to be the only explanation of the acquiescence of the unofficial members. Our contemporary goes on to say:- "The colony, as we must sometimes take "leave to remind the inhabitants thereof, is only a possession of the Crown to be governed by the Imperial Ministry of the day. As a Crown colony, it has no power to make a bargain with the Imperial Gov- "ernment, no power to refuse to make a bargain, and no power to keep or to break an alleged bargain. The colony, in a "word, has no self-governing powers, and "the Bill under discussion is nothing but a way of appearing to close a family dispute, as between a tolerant parent and a child who is a minor." But even children have legal rights, and under our modern system of ethics they are accorded rights largely in excess of those recognised by law. If a Crown colony is to be regarded as a child it is none the less entitled to be treated fairly and equitably. We admit our
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obligation to share in the burden of Im- perial defence, but an agreement having been arrived at as to what our share should be we cannot admit the right of the Imperial Government to twist the words of that agreement in any way calculated to give it different meaning from that originally intended.
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FRANCE AND MADAGASCAR.
The decision of the French Government not to accord to British trade with Mada gascar the same privileges as to French trade affords a cogent reason why Great Britain cannot regard French colonial expan- sion with a friendly eye. There is nothing new in the incident, which is in entire accord with the policy pursued by France for many years past in regard to all her colonies, but it supplies a concrete example which ought to attract attention to the subject. In seeking to bring foreign ter- ritory under her domination France is in- fluenced as much, perhaps more, by the desire to injure the trade of other powers, and of Great Britain in particular, as by a desire to promote her own commerce. That desire has influenced, ber in her encroachments upon Siam, and, equally, should she obtain possession of the western provinces of China, which she is credited with the ambition of owning, she would immediately proceed to build up a wall of hostile tariffs against all but French trade, provided she were allowed to do so.
It is therefore a matter of self- preservation with England to forestall her whenever possible. France, on the other hand, has no reason to, object to British colonial expansion, for under the British flag the Frenchman like all other foreigners pos- sesses equal trading privileges with British subjects. Yet the hostility of France to British colonial expansion is much stronger than British hostility to French colonial expansion.
ever
FOREIGN TRADE IN FORMOSA.
Apprehension appears to be entertained in some quarters that Japan will endeavour to appropriate to herself all the benefits to be derived from the opening up of Formosa in the same way that France is seeking to appropriate to herself exclusive advantages in Madagascar. The recently published re- gulations for the control of the sugar and camphor industries are regarded as affording evidence in support of that view. These re- gulations, however, apply as fully to Japanese subjects as to foreigners, or would so apply if there were any Japanese engaged in the trades in question, which does not yet appear to be the case. Whether the issue of such regulations is a wise measure or not may be a matter of opinion, but it cannot be regarded as an anti-foreign measure. Formosa has now become a part of Japan and the rights of British subjects there are well safeguarded by the treaty of 1894, in which it is provided that there shall be reciprocal freedom of commerce and naviga- tion between the dominions and possessions of the two high contracting parties, and that the subjects of each shall enjoy respec- tively in the territories of the other the same treatment in matters of commerce and navigation as native subjects; and no taxes, imposts, or duties, of whatever nature or under whatever denomination levied in the name or for the profit of the Government, public functionaries, private individuals, corporations, or establish- ments of any kind, shall be paid by them other or greater than those paid by
[April 29, 1896.
be
native subjects. Nothing could possibly h clearer, and British merchants in Formosa may rest satisfied that, however irksome, they may find the regulations imposed, they will not in that respect be placed at any dis- advantage vis-a-vis Japanese subjects. The concession of equal trading privileges ac corded by Japan may have been made more as a matter of prudence than from any con- viction of the inherent wisdom of such a policy; she was negotiating a treaty by which Great Britain surrendered her extra- territorial rights and under the circum- stances Japan could not adopt an exclusive policy even if she had so wished; but what- ever
her feelings in the matter may have been the words of the treaty are plain and unequivocal. The treaty was concluded before the acquisition of Formosa, but it necessarily applies to the latter, now that it has become Japanese territory, as fully as it applies to Japan proper.
merce.
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THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND FOREIGN MEMBERS. The Hongkong Telegraph says:- Our "morning contemporary not very long ago
openly advocated the formation in Hong-- kong of a purely British Chamber of Com- Our contemporary's recollection No change in the present con- is at fault. stitution of the Chamber has been advocated in these columns, nor do we think that it would be in any sense desirable to ask the members of foreign nationality to retire. We have contended that the Chamber, being a semi-representative institution in a British colony, should address itself to the British Minister, not to a foreign Minister, when it has representations to make to Peking, but that is a very different thing from advocat- ing that foreigners should be excluded from membership of the Chamber. When the Chamber has addressed Ministers other than the British Minister it has been at the sug- gestion of British not of foreign members. ; We admit that the temptation to pass by the British Minister was at the time extreme, but we consider it was a mistake to yield to ̈ it. Even when our Ministers are weak it would be better for Britishers to do what they can to support them than directly or indirectly to assist in the lowering of British prestige. Returning to the consti- tution of the Chamber of Commerce, how- ever; if it were made an exclusively British body the probable effect would be that the Germans would form a Chamber of Com- merce of their own, and in any case the general interests of trade would not be so well served as with the whole body of merchants working in harmonious co-opera- tion, as under the present system.
REVIEWS.
Sport in India and Somali Land, with Hints to Young Shikaries. By Surgeon-Captain EDYE, Army Medical Staff. - London: Gale and Polden, Limited.
A
PERUSAL of the latter portion of Surgeon- Captain Edye's book, containing an account, of some of his hunting adventures, will make the sporting reader desire to follow in his footsteps, and, should he be able to gratify his desire, he will find in the earlier chapters useful informa- tion as to how to make his trip a success and how to deal with any accidents that may befall himself or his companions. The headings of the chapters will show the scope of this part of the book "Outfit, and where to get it; Medicines, and how-and when to use them; Useful tips, and where to go;' Skinning "How to and the preservation of specimens ;" get to Somali Land, what to take and how to manage when there." So far the book is all business, to be carefully studied by those who stand in need of the information so
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