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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. settled, and foreigners who choose to reside in the country will, a short time hence, have to submit to the national jurisdiction. We believe the decision arrived at is on the whole a wise one, but no good will be effected by treating with levity the fears of those who entertain a contrary opinion. Some might even think that a little justification for those fears is to be found in a case reported in the Japan papers just received. A Chinaman at Kobe was sentenced to a year's hard labour for smoking opium. A Euro- pean is not likely to find himself charged with precisely the same offence, perhaps, but if "state-made crime" of one descrip- tion is to be punished with such extra- ordinary severity who can say that other descriptions of state-made crime may not be invented that will carry with them equally severe punishments and that may affect Europeans very closely? Japan has a perfect right to prohibit opium in her dominions, just the same right, in fact, that the prohibition States of America have to prohibit alcoholic liquor, but a year's hard labour for smoking a pipe of opium or drinking a glass of sherry strikes us as an outrage on justice, and therefore, in the case of Japan, not calculated to reassure the foreigners who are soon to come under the jurisdiction of the Japanese courts.
MR. PARKER ON THE CHINESE FISCAL SYSTEM.
as trumped up charges. Also there are petty offences, such as breaches of municipal regulations, which cannot be classed as crimes in the proper sense of the word, but which may involve the offender In an infinity of trouble if the magistrates do not exercise justice and discretion in the performance of their duties. In fact the administration of justice is a matter of moment to the whole body politic and to each individual member, and the anxiety felt by the foreign com- munity in Japan with reference to their approaching subjection to the Japanese courts is not unnatural. It is idle to tell them that if they are respectable they will not be affected and that therefore they need not trouble themselves. The matter is one of the greatest importance to them, and the only question is whether the Japanese courts will prove themselves reliable and upright tribunals. Here we find ourselves in agreement with our contemporary. Dwelling around us," he says, are mil- "lions of Japanese, happy in their home "lives, totally undisturbed by police inter- ference, and enjoying just as much in- violability of domicile and security of property as any European enjoys in his own country.' That affords very good ground for believing that Europeans will not be unduly interfered with. Also, English- men, with the loss of Consular jurisdiction, -will not " pass from beneath the shadow of
the flag that has everywhere and in all We would draw attention to the interesting "times been omnipotent for the protection and instructive letter by Mr. E. H. PARKER "of the humblest British subject? Never-published in the Times of the 12th Septem- theless, if the Japanese executive officers and ber? The total revenue of China, as tyrannical, inefficient, and corrupt, life for the accounted for at Peking, Mr. PARKER esti British subject in Japan would become much mates at Tls. 72,000,000, not counting grain, less agreeable than it has hitherto been. of which lekin represents Tls. 15,000,000. But this by no means covers the amount actually collected, the squeezes made by the officials in charge amounting to much more than the sum officially accounted for. And corruption appears to be even more rampant in the collection of the Native Customs than in that of lekin. As an instance, it will be seen that the average collection of the Canton Native Customs for the past ten years is given by Mr. PARKER at Tls. 200,000 per annum, but the Hoppo is usually considered to take five million dollars per annum. That his receipts must be very large is shown by the fact that when the Viceroy Lau KUN-TI acted for him for three months in 1878 the Hoppo's clerks forced on Lu Tls. 150,000 as his share." Likin and the Native Customs collectorate are therefore in much the same condition as regards the prevalence of squeezing and the remarks made by Mr. PARKER with reference to the one apply equally to both. As Mr. PAR- KER says, "The evil does not lie so much "in the extortion, though that is bad enough, "but rather in the uncertainty, irregularity, "intolerable delay, petty tyranny, and dis-
couragement.
It is caprice and delay which strangles trade; in China, "where distances are so great and the pea- "sant is so poor and so easily
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Our contemporary protects itself, as re- gards its argument of indifference, by saying: "It will not be supposed, of course, that in pointing out the absence of any appreci- "able connection between criminal pro- "cedure and the lives of ordinary respect “able folks we under-rate the importance of good penal laws and their efficient "administration: Were we not "sunded that Japanese criminal codes "and Japanese criminal courts have long ceased to offer just ground for complaint, we should certainly oppose "the abolition of Consular jurisdiction. While thus parrying the anticipated reply, however, our contemporary again repeats his error in the next sentence, in which he says:-"But when there is question of the foreign residents' submission to those "codes and courts, it is well to remem- "ber that the matter concerns only an "insignificant fraction of the community." We say it concerns the whole community, because every individual, however respect- able, and whatever his position, has to share in the risk incurred. Probably every reader will be able to recall cases that have come within his own knowledge of persons of the highest respect- -iablity who have been called upon to answer unfounded or frivolous charges preferred against them in a court of justice and who, if the courts before which they were tried had been corrupt or incompetent; might have been subjected to serious injury to their character and career. Such cases are not very numerous, but they occur often enough to make any one reluctant to place himself under the jurisdiction of courts in which he has not full confidence. Also, the lower the standard of the courts and the greater will be the number of unfounded charges brought for motives of revenge or extortion, as we know is the case in China. So far as Japan is concerned, the matter is
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be to surrender the means by which their enormous fortunesare made. Li HUNG-CHANG is reported to have said that China would not surrender lekin for a mere increase in the import duty. No wonder, because a mere increase in the import duty, though it would largely increase the imperial and, under a just apportionment, the provincial revenues, would not be subject to the fingering of the official parasites that are draining the life blood of the empire, and in the front rank of whom stand Li and his following. The state of things which prevails is well illus- trated by the following extract from Mr. PARKER's letter:-"About fifteen years
ago LI HAN-CHANG, `brother of LI HUNG CHANG, was officially charged with re- ceiving a squeeze of 750 taels a day in con- "nection with a local wood and bamboo tax "whilst Viceroy at Hankow. The Viceroy "Tso TSUNG-TANG (an honest man) was "ordered to report, and convicted him of having an unexplained sum of 18,000 taels "in a special chest,' which LI was ordered to disgorge. Tso reported:-The cor ruption in this matter is no worse than "exists in most provinces, and my inquiries, "" into the alleged vast wealth of the brothers "La do not prove much to me.' At about "the same period the Board itself was proved to "have peculated 150,000 taels in connection. "with the Yunnan accounts and had to pay:
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up this sum.' LI HAN-CHANG, instead of being dismissed for his peculations, was allowed to continue in official life until his
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retirement quite recently and to earn for. himself as Viceroy at Canton the nickname of "the bottomless purse." Peculation is is officially discovered and reported, and not regarded as a crime in China unless it
that need not stand in the way of an official's even then it is regarded as a venial offence
advancement, provided he has sufficient influence. The prevailing corruption per- meates all ranks, from those nearest the
Emperor down to the lowest underling in the most insignificant yamen, with only here and there an individual exception. It will be seen therefore how great is the opposi- . tion that must be overcome before any re- form in the fiscal policy of the Empire can be carried into effect. It is, however, only on the condition of a complete and radical reform in the collection and administration of the Native Customs and lekin that any increase in the Foreign Customs tariff can be agreed to.
MACAO AND TIMOR.
It is impossible not to sympathise with the grievances of the Macanese, in having the dead weight of Timor financially dragging them down. Timor has always been a sort of Old Man of the Sea to Macao. The former colony has never, we believe, really paid its way, and as it is administratively attached to Macao, its chronic impecuniosity has been a perennial affliction to our little neighbour. Oflate the burden has been more intoler- The misgoverned depen- able than ever. dis-dency has been in a state of rebellion, and funds have been needed to pay for the arms and forces required to suppress disorder. The Macao Treasury has had to bear the brunt of it. A new wharf is needed in Timor, and, as the colonists there have not the wherewithal to pay for it, a substantial iron structure is decided on, to cost sixty thou- course, is passed sand dollars. The bill, of on to Macao to settle. And so on with other things. The revenue of Macao was last year $663,178.75 and the expenditure $519,477 23 showing a balance at credit of $143,701.52 while Timor had a deficit of $107,428.10. This has to be made good out of Macao's surplus. Unfortunately for the Holy City
couraged, the new sense of delight and "freedom would be immeasurable in its "results if absolutely free circulation of "both exports and imports were allowed throughout the Empire." Not only would trade be encouraged, but a greatly increased revenue would be raised for public purposes. Foreign Governments, in.accordance with the views of merchants in China, would be very willing to assent to increased import duties provided one payment freed the goods from all further taxation. Only one obstacle stands in the way and that is the corruption of the officials. To surrender the opportuni- ties for squeezing that they now possess would
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