to
eptember 16, 1896.
olation for lovers of peace to know that though the Russian Press is often officially ing fred, it does not necessarily reflect the opinions either of the CZAR or of his Ministers. NICHOLAS II, will shortly visit France and England, and probably we shall earn that ench of these visits is a happy augury for the maintenance of peace. As a matter of fact we believe the young Em- peror, than whom no sovereign will receive mer welcome in England, where he feels at home, is eminently friendly English alliance, which would be the most natural and probably prove welcome to the English nation, since the two Powers are so closely connected in Asin, and, united, could govern the affairs of that great con- tinent for the weal of its countless dusky millions. At present French jealousy and ill will, as unfounded as it is unreciprocated, blocks the way to this development; but it must come in the near future, or it is quite within the bounds of possibility that we shall one day, by the pettiness, the malice, and the envy of some of our European neigh- burs be suddenly involved in a calamitous conflict the issue of which it would be diffi- cult to foretell. Yet whatever may betide, Britons will be content to rely on their own resources, which have never failed them hitherto, and are greater now than ever.
THE LAND QUESTION AT WOOSUNG.
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The despatch of the Nanking Viceroy for bidding the sale to foreigners of land- at Woosung is calculated to cause considerable irritation to the Shanghai community. Woosung, according to the Viceroy, is destined to become the leading port of China His Excellency does not appear to take any note of the possibility of improving the port of Shanghai by a system of river conservancy and the dredging of the Woo- sung Bar; the simply ignores the scheme and proceeds on the assumption that the Bar will continue to silt up until the river becomes unnavigable, "in which case Woo- sung will, of necessity, become the com- "mercial emporium of the place. Indeed, foreigners of all nations are unanimous “in their belief that this will be the case. Woosung will also be the great starting 'point for the railways of the future and through it the goods for other provinces will naturally have to pass, en route over- "land." In view of this prospect foreigners are. to be prevented from acquiring land there, wealthy untives are to be encouraged to form companies to buy it all up, and "the native companies will then be able to "utilise their property when the railways are laid." Needless to say, this is a scheme that from the foreigner's point of view is entirely inadmissible. Should the port of Shanghini ever be closed by the silting up of the river and the business be transferred to Woosung foreigners will necessarily estub- lish themselves at the latter place, and China will be compelled to afford them all reasonable facilities for trade and residence, whether the mandarins like it or not.
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CHINÄ ÖVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE SALARIES AND SQUEFZES
OF CHINESE OFFICIALS.
in-
The smallness of the salaries paid to the Chinese officials is frequently put forward as an explanation and excuse for their squeezing propensities. It is popularly sup posed that they do not get enough, in the way of salary, to live upon, and that they are perforce compelled to eke out their come by irregular means. Some interestin figures were recently published by China Gazette showing the actual salaries paid in a number of instances, which we reproduce in another column, but we must confess that we do not altogether share our contemporary's opinion as to the uniform
It inadequacy of the amounts. must not be forgotten that in China money goes much farther and has a higher value than in- land, so much so that in the Inbour
we flattered ourselves that we had st Shanghai a mandarin more than usually practicable, we were refused permission formally to acquire building sites at "Woosung, some ten miles below Shanghai and at the mouth of the river on which "that city stands, on the ground that "Woosung was not in the port of Shanghai. It was to meet objections of this kind, "which were at once frivolous and vexatious, "that I suggested the insertion" (in the Tientsin treaty]" of a phrase to supplement "the word 'port,' which events had shown "to be not sufficiently comprehensive. This "is the history of the employment of the "words her places." The Article referred to reads as follows:-"British subjects, whether at the ports or other places, de siring to build or open houses, warehouses, churches, hospitals, or burial grounds, shall make their agreement for the land or buildings they require at the rates prevail-a ing among the people, equitably and with "out exaction on either side." It has been held that this does not confer on foreigners the right to purchase land and build ware houses wherever they like throughout the empire, but it clearly applies to a case like that of Woosung, and it was the intention of the negotiators of the treaty that it should do 80. It is important that this right should be promptly and unequivocally asserted, now that the Chinese have plainly shown their hand, and that the formal withdrawal of the Viceroy's despatch should be insisted upon.
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But while thus asserting trenty rights, we must admit that some little shadow of excuse may be found for the attitude the Viceroy has taken up. That excuse is to be found in the preposterous claims put forward by the northern newspapers with re- ference to the alleged right of foreigners to grab all foreshore accretions claims entirely inadmissible under our own. English laws and repugnant to all principles of equity. It is the foreshore question, apparently, that has suggested to the Viceroy his ill-advised despatch, He says it has been reported to him that the foreshore at Shanghai was valued at from 8200,000 to $250,000 (which is an absurdly low valuation we should think) while that at Paoshan (Woo- sung) was from $80,000 to $90,000, and that it is likely that the foreshores will keep on rapidily accreting. So far as Woosung is concerned His Excellency is apparently not disposed to part with the prospective value of these accretions without valuable consi- deration, and as our Own
Government or any private landowner would probably take the same view under similar circum- stances, we can scarcely blame the attitude of mind which has led to the framing of the despatch, although the Viceroy has gone quite a wrong way to work for the protection of the interests he represcuts. In the memoran- dum above referred to Sir THOMAS WADE says: -"Politically, no question to my mind, more falsifics our position in China "than the land question.
I should be "well pleased that we were to hold no more "land anywhere; " but he recoguised, of
course,
takes place, a foreign land concession will be insisted upon; but in all dealings arising therefrom the ordinary principles, of justice must be kept in view.
In the late Sir THOMAS WADE's memo-
that land must be held, and went on randum respecting the revision of the treaty to argue in favour of concessions. Land of Tientsin the question of the acquisition must also be held at Woosung, and if the of land at Woosung and other places out-great change that the Viceroy anticipates side the limits of the treaty ports is referred to in terms that possess much interest in connection with the question now raised. Having mentioned the difficulties placed in the way of acquiring land at Whampoa, and similar difficulties that had arisen at Amoy, Foochow, and Ningpo, the memo randum goes on to say:-" And even so 'late as the year 1856, at a moment when
The Bureau of Foreign Affairs at Soochow are now building some eighty "foreign-style houses, designed for future residents of the new Settlement there.-N. C. Daily News.
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tael goes as far in China as a po England. A skilled mechanic England would earn say six month would be fortunate in China (we do not refer to the treaty ports) if he got as many taels. The same difference obtains throughout all grades of trades and professions and might equally be to be found in official life. But it appears he official salary Nanking Viceroy receives as what our contemporary terms "th
the ridic 'lously trifling sum " of Tls. 18,000 a year Turning that amount into sterling it comes in round figures, to nearly £3,000. Seeing that Lord SALISBURY as Foreign Minister Great Britain draws only £5,000, the Vice- roy's income does not seem so very small, in fact, if we go on the principle that a topl in China is worth as much as a pound in England, the Viceroy's salary is propor tionately very much larger than that Prime Minister of England. of the Comparisons made in respect of the other offices
mentioned work out in
much the same way. Of course in China there is no pension scheme, nor is there any reliable tenure of office, but that brings us exactly to the weak point of the Chinese system, namely, that the public service is not administered with a single eye to the public welfare, but is regarded as a rich mine to be exploited by the officers for their own advantage, and, as the specially lucra tive offices are only held for short terms, the holders are consumed with a desire to get all they can out of them in the time at Thus we are told that the their disposal. post of Shanghai Taotai, which is generally held for three years, is popularly supposed to bring its lucky occupant in a net profit of three million taels, or, say, half-a-million sterling. It is clear that peculation on that scale cannot be dependent in any degree on the amount of salary received, but that it is part of a recognised but exceedingly vicious system. In what other country of the world would an official be expected to make a fortune of half-a-million in three years? With prizes like this open to them it is easy to understand the strength of the opposition offered by the official hierarchy to any movement for placing the public service on an bouest basis. But if any reform is to be attempted it is no use thinking that it can be brought about by a mere revision of salaries; there must be a fundamental al- teration in the prevailing idea as to the scope and object of the public service. At present it is regarded by the ruling classes simply as a means of amassing private fortunes; the people, they consider, are made to be squeezed and the mandarīns to enjoy the fruit of the squeezes. There are differences of degree amongst the darins themselves as regards their squeezing
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