December 31, 1896.1
striction on her right of taxation that she villing to give sites for settlements in
to purchase
hase the surrender of the restriction, or Japan that was so anxious the settlements that she was willing to irrender the advantages she had secured
Ign manufactures,
but
but we should probabilities are rather in favour of the latter supposition. And, moreover, even if it were a fact that China was parti- cularly anxious for theu abrogation of that clause of the Shimonoseki treaty it would not necessarily follow that she strangle the new enterprise by excessive
intended to taxation, for it would be
"
is
•
46.
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only natural that she should desire to have a free hand in the matter and so take the credit to herself of voluntarily confining the taxation within moderate limits instead of allowing the credit to go to Japan' for compelling her to do so. That view might reasonably be taken, not as a mere matter of sentiment, but with reference to the substantial advantages it would confer on China in negotiations that may in future take place between herself and Western Powers on questions of trade. Our Yoko liama contemporary goes on to say:- Finally, can it be reasonably expected "that the British Government will exert "itself, strenuously to further the prospects of cotton mills in China which will compete "directly and at great advantage with "Manchester and Bombay? The broad "view may be taken that China's prosperity, by whatever means accomplished, cannot fail to generally benefit the countries trading with her, and ought to be promoted by England without regard to "the disadvantages entailed upon particular "branches of trade or particular individuals by the process. But we doubt whether 'Her Majesty's Government will be in- "duced to adopt that view very vigorously "in the prezent instance." If this means that Great Britain will passively encourage China to kill the new industry, with the idea of benefiting Manchester and Bombay, we do not for a moment believe it. Her Majesty's Government will afford the same protection to British interests as represented in the cotton industry at Shanghai that it extends to British interests abroad as repre- sented in any other line of enterprise. It is not to be expected that Great Britain should go out of her way to secure for manufactures on Chinese soil immunity from taxation, but she will want a definite understanding as to what the taxation is to be and will then see that it is not exceeded. And so far as can be seen at present, Chinese ideas range about ten per cent. ad valorem, which is not re- garded as very excessive. In a previous article on this subject we pointed out that a large amount of Chinese capital held by in- fluential personages in the official world has been sunk in the cotton spinning industry, that the parties interested will therefore use their influence to prevent the industry be- ing taxed out of existence, and that foreign factories cannot be taxed on a higher scale than Chinese industries; also that the lekin authorities have not yet secured a grip on his new branch of trade and that it is pro- bable the Peking Government, moved by self-interest, will endeavour to keep the re- venue acoruing therefrom in its own hands and so administeriit, through the Imperial Maritime Customs, that it shall yield a steady and permanent income. To this we may now add the fact that whereas shortly
the conclusion of the Shimono- seki Treaty Japanese capitalists who had moted public companies for the establish- cotton factories in China were warned by their Government that it would be
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. prudent not to embark on the enterprise at: once, they are now carrying out their original schemes. From this the inference may be drawn that Japan, while surrendering her rights under the Shimonoseki Treaty in that respect, has received assurances of some kind to the effect that it is, not intended to subject the manufacturing industry to ex cessive taxation. That the new enterprise is attended with a certain element of risk it would be idle to deny, but taking all the circumstances into consideration the pro- spects seem decidedly favourable.
MR. WU TING-FANG. -
to:
to:
Ho
without even the aid of a Chines push him on, he ought to be the people of the Great Republic, we believe, an advocate of progress, tho of course he has never yet been in a in China to make his influenc knows well the rent h
great advantages his countrymen through emigra and he will be no party to any make the American Exclusion Laws more rigid against the Chinese than they now are. The Chinese in the United States will find in him an exceptionally able protector, whe will exact their uttermost rights and insist upon justice being
cone to
them It
ng abroad
to
however, unlikely that he
he will make any effort to acquire popularity in Wa Society like some of his predecessors are said to have done. His diplomatic work will claim his whole attention, and he will no doubt endeavour to make the post a footstool wherewith to climb to still higher office. He is about fifty years of age, and may possibly Have a great, future before him in China.
The appointment of Mr. WU TING-FANG to be Chinese Minister at Washington is a rather notable circumstance from more than one point of view. Mr. WU TING-FANG is the first Chinaman educated in this colony who has been raised to the rank of Ambassador, the first foreign educated Chinaman pro- bably who has risen to any position of eminence in the service of his country. It may be of interest to those of our readers who cannot date their local experience to more than a dozen years back to know that the new Minister, who was known here as No CHOY, was educated at St. Paul's College and subsequently became an interpreter in the Courts here. He next joined, the ranks of journalism, becoming lessee and manager of the Chung, Ngoi San Po (Chinese Daily Press). After a few years spent in this pro-f fession, he left his brother, the late Mr. No CHAN, in charge of his interests, and went to England, where he studied law and was in due course. called to the Bar. He then returned to Hongkong and practised in the Courts here, with, however, only moderate success. This was during the administration of Sir JoHN POPE HENNESSY, who was not long in discovering in the young barrister a useful channel of com- munication with the Chinese, and he skil- fully worked upon them through his fugleman in the effort he made to kindle race antipathies and grievances. Sir JoBN was not slow to reward his protegé. He obtained permission from Downing Street to place a Chinaman on the Legislative Council, and No CHOY, though by no means a re- presentative man, was appointed, and later on, when the opportunity occurred through a vacancy, he made him Acting Police Magistrate. It is only just to No CHOY to say that he proved a fairly capable and impartial magistrate; but the experiment, like most of Sir JOHN POPE HENNESSY'S appointments, was a risky one. After the departure of his patron to Mauritius, No CHOY thought it might be more profitable to seek a field for his energies and talents in the Chinese service, and he has not been disappointed. Unlike the vast majority of his countrymen who have acquired a Western education, WU TING-FANG, as he styled himself on arrival at Tientsin, was neither, snubbed nor relegated to an inferior position. He owes this partly no doubt to his tact and ability, and partly to his knowledge of Western law, which must often have been of great service to the Viceroy and afterwards to the Peking Authorities. Mr. Wu has been a director of the Imperial Railways, and has held other posts; and, as he is reliable if not brilliant, he has steadily worked his way into prominence in spite of his mengre acquaintance with the Chinese classics. In appearance the newly appointed minister is decidedly prepossessing and dignified he may be indebted in some measure to his Malay mother for his good looks... "As a man of the people, entirely self-made,
THE EDUCATION OF EUROPEAN
CHILDREN IN HONGKONG..
In his speech at the prize distribution at St Joseph's College on Tuesday the Chief Justice referred to the question of middle class education. "Of late years," His Lords ship said, "the education of the middle classes in England had been very much in the background; not nearly the same attention had been given to them as to the lower classes and the upper classes. The upper classes had grammar schools and the lower classes had a system of education which had been more or less, developed to perfection; while on the other. hand the middle classes had had no sys- tematic education at all. The state had hitherto done very little for the middle classes, but lately a Commission had been. appointed to enquire into the question, and by and by the education of the middle classes would be taken into consideration. In Hongkong the grant-in-aid scheme is administered on rather more liberal prin- 'ciples than in England, private schools being allowed to participate in it here, whereas in England that is not the case. To that extent middle class education, may be said to be treated more generously in Hong kong than at home. Also at the Queen's. College a good education is given, on reasonable terms, to both Chinese and European boys, and as the latter are now, In a class by themselves the objections that parents formerly entertained to sending their children to that institution have, to a large extent disappeared. In the city of Victoria itself, therefore, there is not 1 room for complaint against the Government as regards, the provision made for, and the encouragement afforded to, the education of European children. In the suburbs, how- ever, the position is rather different. Kowloon, especially educational are required. At the Peak the number children of school age. is, com small, as the class residing there send children home to be educated as a ru Kowloon, on the other hand, a lar number of the residents are not in a to adopt that course, and their e to be educated locally educational facilities is them to be one of great
ات
much
tion of
nd
year or two ago steps were taken a school, which has been known College. Some fifteen hundred subscribed for the erectio the accom
the school, institution has done good work and proved
accommodation
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