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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
it was the most economical way. I have never been adjudged bankrupt before or made any ar- rangement with my creditors.
Mr. Seth I ask your Lordship to close the examination, as there are no creditors present to question the debtor. The creditors are prin- cipally European.
His Lordship-Very well, let the examination be closed.
THE HONGKONG GENERAL CHAM- BER OF COMMERCE.
At a monthly meeting of the Committee held at the Chamber Rooms on the 18th June- Present: Messrs. J. J. Bell-Irving (Chairman), A. McConachie (Vice-Chairman), G. B. Dod- well, St. C. Michaelsen, N. A. Siebs, H. Smith, and R. C. Wilcox (Secretary).
RESIGNATION OF THE CHAIRMAN.
The Chairman tendered his resignation on the ground that he had not the time to ade- quately perform the duties.
After some discussion Mr. A. McConachie consented to accept the post, and he then pro- posed, and Mr. Dodwell seconded, the election of Mr. Herbert Smith as Vice-Chairman.
This being carried unanimously,
The meeting was adjourned until the 24th June.
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(Correspondence.)
THE BRITISH MINISTER TO THE CHAMBER.
Peking, May 29th, 1896. Sir, I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 16th iustant, with reference to an announcement made by Reuter's Agency on the 4th instant, to the effect that Li Hung chang intends visiting the Courts of the various Treaty Powers, partly with a view to obtaining | an increase of five to eight per cent, ad valorem of the import duties levied on foreign goods in China.
July 2 1896
they go to prove that if piece goods and yarn- could be purchased in Wuchow at a reasonable figure and the West River beyond free of lekin barriers, I am assured by one and all the traders that the present roundabout way of forwarding. goods into South China would be abandoned and everything sent forward by the West River route. The opening of the river as far up asˆ Po-Sè (pronounced in Cantonese Pak Sek would be an immense advantage to British trade and, in my opinion, should include the cities of Shuhing, Wuchow, Nanning, and Po-Sẻ In reply. I beg you to inform the Hongkong I have read a great deal of argument for and General Chamber of Commerce that I have against the Red River route compared with the seen the Reuter's telegram in question, but bave West River, but in my own mind there is no received no confirmation whatever of the state-doubt about the matter, that where the market for exports is there will also be the market for ment contained in it.
imports, and unless the French encourage opium smoking in Tonkin and establish cotton factories in Haiphong they may, if the West River is open, as well try and secure the moon as to obtain control of the carrying trade to Yunnan via the Red River.
In my opinion no change of tariff is likely to take place without previous consultation with the parties most interested in such alteration, and without full publicity being given to the intention to make such change.—I am, sir, your
obedient servant,
R.
(Signed) CLAUDE M. MACDONALD,
MR. ANDREW TO THE CHAMBER.
Hongkong, 29th May, 1896. Chatterton Wilcox, Esq., Secretary, Hong
kong General Chamber of Commerce. Dear Sir. I have now the pleasure to enclose, for the information of your members, copy of a letter which I have addressed to Mr. Byron Brenan with reference to my views upon the trade with the interior of South China by the West River route. The inland duties men- tioned therein de not include those of the Kwangtung province, with which Mr. Brenan is already acquainted those are even heavier than in Kwangsi. and when I mention that the taxes on grey shirtings from Canton to Wuchow amount to $1.20 per piece and this for that of Mr. Bell-Irving on the Correspond- added to duties further on, it can well be ing Committee.
At the adjourned meeting on the 24th June -Present: Messrs A. McConachie (Chairman), H. Smith (Vice-Chairman), J. J. Bell-Irving, T. Jackson, St. C. Michaelsen, N. A. Siebs, T. H. Whitehead, and R. C. Wilcox (Secretary),
The minutes of the last monthly meeting and that of the 18th inst. were read and confirmed.
CORRESPONDING COMMITTEE.
The name of Mr. McConachie was substituted
DUTIES LEVIED ON FOREIGN GOODS IN SOUTH CHINA.
Letter from Mr. J. Andrew enclosing one addressed by him to Mr. Cousul Brenan on the duties levied on foreign goods in South China was laid on the table.
QUARANTINE AT SINGAPORE. Read letter from Colonial Secretary dated 2nd June, enclosing copy of telegram from Singapore declaring Chinese ports southwards from Foochow infected. Copies had been sent to local Press.
REPORTED INTENTION OF CHINESE GOVERN- MENT TO DEMAND INCREASE IN TARIFF.
Read letter from British Minister, dated 29th May, acknowledging receipt of Chamber's letter of 16th idem.
Also letters from Amoy, Shanghai, and Chinkiang Chambers acknowledging receipt of copies of despatch to British Minister.
TARDY DELIVERY OF MAILS BY POST OFFICE.
Read letter from Messrs. Melchers & Co., dated 11th June, calling attention to the late delivery by the Post office of the French mail on the 10th, and the early honr fixed for closing mail by same steamer on that same day for Shanghai. Resolved to address the Governments on the urgent necessity for more prompt delivery generally and for the provision of sufficiently commodious premises in which to conduct the work of the Post Office, a general opinion being expressed that it was most difficult to handle the mails with due despatch in the present building.
TELEGRAPH RATES.
understood that there can be no trade in the
face of such excessive taxation. The West River should undoubtedly be opened to foreign trade as far as navigation will permit, the terminus being Po Sé.-I am, dear sir, your obedient servant.
(Signed) JOHN ANDREW,
MR. ANDREW TO MR. CONSUL BRENAN.
you left.
Hongkong, 19th May, 1896. Dear Mr. Brenan,-As you must know, i had a lot of trouble with the officials at Wu- chow over the sale of my cargo on the trip up the West River, which was contemplated before It kept me in Wuchow for over three months, so I had no time to go further up the river as I intended. The delay, however, gave me an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the trade by daily intercourse with traders from Yunnan, Kweichow, Hunan, and Szechuen. The principal and most valuable export from these provinces is native opium and the prin- cipal market for it is Wuchowfoo. From very reliable information Lam told that the annual trade at Wuchow in the drug alone amounts to The traders from Kwangsi, over $5,000,000. Kweichow, and Yunnan all want to invest the proceeds of their cargo in cotton yarn and piece goods at Wuchow and return home at once, but at present they cannot do so on account of the excessive lekin charged on the West River. The present system is to ship the dollars down to Hongkong or get a native bank draft on Fatshan or Canton and from there another on Hongkong. There is no direct business be- tween Hongkong and Wuchow. In both cases of transmission there is a loss of over 2 per dent, in addition to the passage money of the men, who have to accompany their cargo back into the interor. The dollars are invested here
It was decided to write to the Telegraph Companies to inquire when the promised re- ductions in the tariff for messages to the Straits Settlements and elsewhere is to come into effect, no further intimation on the subject havingin yarn and piere goods, which are shipped to been given, though the Singapore office of the Telegraph Companies has already notified by advertisement a reduction in rates.
QUARANTINE AT MANILA.
Mr. H. Smith drew attention to a report in the papers to the effect that it was proposed to lengthen the quarantine imposed in the Philip- pines on vessels arriving from Hongkong to fifteen days in consequence of the erroneous report to the effect that the cases of bubouie plague in Hongkong bad increased, and it was resolved to address the Government on the sub- ect, pointing out that the cases of plague were really on the decline.
Now to answer your questions.
Loti-Shui is not levied on transit pass goods at Wuchow, but is on others. I offered to pay this tax, but the officials would not receive it. They wanted to make the buyers pay when the cargo passed into their hands, both this and all the Kwangtung barrier taxes.
Taxes beyond Wuchow.-I send you a book of likin charges for Kwangsi, and I am told the charges in Kweichow and Yunnan are about the same in each province. It is most difficult, however, to arrive at exact figures, as there are so many ways of evading and commuting duties at all stations.
Furthest Station of Navigation on the West River-All yarn, &c., which goes up the West River destined for Yunnan is landed at Po-Sé and thence taken overland. There is a station. named Pakoi about 50 miles further up, but the river is shallow and current strong. Unless with very small boats Pakoi is never used.
and”-
From Wuchow to Po-Sé the total duty on yarn is Tls. 3 per bale and the freight about Tl. I. On piece goods the duties are excessive, and on cheap cloth they amount to 40 to 50 per cent. These duties include Loti-shui Too-quan. The book sent you only refers to Loti-shui; the Too-quan duties vary from month to month apparently, according to de- mand and supply, and it is impossible to obtain a proper tariff.
Yangtsze Goods at Wuchow:--As already ex- plained, Wuchow draws her supplies from Hongkong via Pakhoi and Yunghue, and I could not hear of any caso where goods came overland from the Yangtsze. I was told, how- ever, although I doubt it, that foreign goods sometimes come to Kwelin from the Yangtsze through Hunan.-Yours truly,
(Signed) JOHN ANDREW.
A CURE FOR THE PLAGUE. IMPORTANT DISCOVERY BY DR. TERSIN. The Right Rev. Bishop Chausse, of Canton, writes us as follows:-
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I owe some gratitude to Dr. Yersin, and in the public interest I ask you to afford me space in your columns to make known the circum- stances. You are aware that in 1894 Dr., Yer- sin, of the Pasteur Institute at Paris, came to Hongkong to study on the spot the famous bubonic plague, which was committing such ravages at Canton and Hongkong. At that time he sent a large quantity of the bacilli of the plague to Dr. Roux, the inventor of the serum against diphtheria. These microbes were cul- tivated at the Institute. Dr. Yersin himself has established a laboratory at Nhia Trang, in Tonkin, where he keeps twenty horses for the Pakhoi, if destined for Kwangsi, and to Hai- preparation of serum to be used against several phong, if for Kweichow or Yanuan. If the of the epidemic diseases of these tropical re- cargo is intended for Wuchow it is taken over-gions, such as bubonic plague, cattle plague, eto.. land from Pakhoi to Yunghue, a place halfway He had already made many successful experi- between Wuchow and Nanning on the Westments on rats affected with the plague, but he River, thence down stream. There is no duty on foreign goods coming down river. If the destination is Nanning the goods are taken Cargo direct overland there from Pakhoi. for ports beyond Nanning in Kwangsi. Kwei- chow, and Yunnan is shipped up the Red River by steamer to Mengtsu and thence for- warded to its destination. All these details you may be already acquainted with, but
had not yet tried his serum upon man. It was with this object that he landed the other day at Hongkong. On the morning of the 26th June he was at Canton, not having as yet had the op- portunity of trying his remedy.
At three o'clock in the afternoon he came to hands see me, as he did in 1894. As we shook, I said, "Doctor, you have arrived most oppor-- tunely. A case of plague has occurred this
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