"
106
LEKIN AT THE OPEN PORTS.
[August 4, 1897.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
the Japanese demands upon this point were centre for a very wide region, which, if not withdrawn. It is not likely that the so rich as some more favoured parts of The Hongkong General Chamber of Com-British Government will now be found China, possesses nevertheless respectable merce is virtually invited by Mr. BYRON ready to execute a volte face on the subject consuming and producing capabilities. Mr. BRENAN, the British Consul at Cauton, to and reverse all the declarations upon which W. NOYES MOREHOUSE, the Acting Com- enter upon an agitation with reference to LI HUNG-CHANG relied. But it is con-missioner of Customs at Pakhoi, in his the levy of lekin at the open ports. The tended, we believe, that these declarations report for last year predicted that when the invitation is contained in a reply by the only refer to goods proceeding inland and West River was opened a portion of the träde Consul to a representation made to him by do not cover the long of levy at the open now passing Pakhoi would be diverted to the Chamber on the subject of the kerosine ports, where the goods should be free after Wuchow. There can be little doubt that and match farm at Wuchow. Mr. BRENAN the payment of import duty. That might the prediction will be fulfilled. The says:—“As a question of tactics I would have been the case originally, but long French, however, intend to compete for venture to doubt the expediency of attack usage has also sanctioned the levy at the the traffic, and with that object are ex- "ing the procedure in Kwangsi when the ports when the goods have passed out of the tending the Langson railway to Lungchow, same thing on a much larger scale is going foreign merchants' hands, as in the case of in Kwangsi, near the head of the navigable Hitherto mentioned by Mr. portion of the West River. on in Kwangtung. A similar tax is kerosine at Canton farmed by a syndicate in this province; BRENAN. The levy has gone on for years, foreign goods have filtered upstream and
"without any com-
crossed the border into Tonkin, but now "and within the treaty port of Canton as Mr. BRENAN says,
itself, where according to the tariff "plaint having been made from any quarter." it is designed by the construction of a "kerosine should reach the consumer after The objection which has been successfully railway to reverse the traffic, the inten- "paying a duty of about nine cents per urged in the case of the Kwangsi kerosine tion being that goods shall be imported case, a further tax of 30 cents is imposed, and match farm was, as we understand, by sea to Haiphong, be transhipped there so conveyed to "and has been imposed for years, without not that the levy of lekin was in itself to the railway, and "any complaint having been made from illegal, but that it was farmed out to Lungchow, whence they are to be dis- concern under such terms tributed throughout South China by the "any quarter.” This is the passage we a trading
to create a commercial monopoly. West River, its tributaries, and the various contrue as an invitation to the Chamber to attack this question of lekin, and it It is most desirable, in the interests both of land routes. Referring to this railway in must be gratifying to the mercantile com- the Chinese revenue and foreign trade that his report for last year Mr H. B. MORSE, Commissioner of Customs at Lungchow, munity to find that the Consul is prepared lekin should be swept away entirely, but as to point out what he conceives to be abuses long as the system remains as a recognised says:- requiring a remedy instead of waiting to institution it appears hopeless to object to have them pointed out to him. The Cham- the levy on kerosine at Canton mentioned ber apparently thinks it necessary to excuse by Mr. BREṆAN. or palliate its past neglect in the matter mentioned, for the Chairman, replying to Mr. BRENAN, points out that "when the "Kwangtung farm was inaugurated there were many equally, and some even more, pressing questions (such as for instance "the transit pass question) which at that "time it was apparently impossible for Foreign Governments to enforce, and "it is therefore less surprising that “this particular breach of Treaty rights # was not then brought prominently "into notice."
as
THE TRANSIT PASS SYSTEM AND
THE WEST RIVER TRADE.
"The agent of the merchant in say, Yunnan will go to that mart in "which he can best and most cheaply 'fill the whole of his indent; and for "the present he will continue to go to Hongkong. In time, after he has become accustomed to accompanying his goods through Tonkin, he may he persuaded that "he can do better and buy cheaper in
Haiphong; but he will be influenced by "these considerations only, and will not "ask if the goods are of French, English,
"
看着
“
The transit pass system appears to work with remarkable success in the province of Yunnan. From the report of Mr. W. F, SPINNEY, the Commissioner of Customs at
or German manufacture. If then, buy- Mengtzu, we learn that of the total imports
"ing elsewhere, he is shut out from Tonkin at that place 91 per cent. are sent inland
On referring to the by a hostile tariff, he will select, or under transit pass.
resume, another route to reach his market, returns we find that while in 1890, the first complete year after the opening of the "and the route by Haiphong and Lung amounted to chow will be for him as if it did not station, the total trade
" exist." The railway may be able to Tls. 1,104,007, last year it amounted to Tls. 2,476,675, showing an increase of 125 create a considerable traffic for itself; but per cent. in seven years. This increase has it will certainly not be able to divert gone on steadily from year to year, except much of the trade that can be con- that the figures for 1896 are smaller than veniently carried by the West River, for, those for 1895, but that is accounted for by as Mr. MORSE points out, "time is not im- portant in China," and the West River the fact that owing to the weather and its effect upon the navigation of the Red River route, though longer, will be cheaper than
have the railway carriage through Tonkin. goods that ordinarily would not arrived until the early part of 1896 arrived at the end of 1895 and went to swell the total of that year's trade. The remarkable and gratifying growth of trade at Mengtzu
In his report on the Blue Book for 1896 must be ascribed in a great measure, no doubt, to the smooth working of the transit H.E. Sir WILLIAM ROBINSON takes an pass regulations in the province. If there unnecessarily gloomy view of the trade are abuses, they are apparently not of a of the year. On the whole 1896 was not very serious nature, for no great complaint a bad year. In the absence of complete on this score has been raised at any time and accurate statistics of the trade of during the seven years that Mengtzu has the port a commercial summary is neces- been open. We do not suppose the officials sarily founded largely on rumour and con- of Yunnan are naturally more honest thanjecture, aud that His Excellency should those of Kwangtung and Kwangsi, but the squeeze system appears to be less highly developed there, and, moreover, having France to reckon with, the provincial Go verument may possibly have deemed it prudent to give no cause of offence on this
THE GOVERNOR ON THE TRADE OF THE COLONY,
The natural corollary to those remarks by the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce is that the other difficulties referred to having been to some extent disposed of this particular one may now be discussed. It is to be feared, however, that attacks upon isolated lekin charges are likely to lead to but a barren result, if indeed they may not do actual harm by courting defeat. The system, it seems to us, should be dealt with comprehensively. Foreign merchant have already expressed their willingness to assent to a very considerable increase in the import duties provided the goods are freed by one payment of all further charges. That is the object to be aimed at, and no opportunity should be lost of pressing upon the Chinese Authorities the desirability of a sweeping fiscal reform. But unless some quid pro quo can be given it seems idle to agitate for the abolition of this or that lekin duty, the legality of lekin having unfortunately been admitted by the British Government. When it was proposed by Japan in the peace negotiations at Shimonoseki that goods that had paid import and transit duty should be exempt from lekin and all other charges LI HUNG-CHANG used as his strongest argument against the proposal the references to the subject in the British parliamentary blue books. "There is no Go- "vernment," said LI, "which more jealously guards its commercial privileges than "Great Britain, and her subjects engaged in "the Chinese trade have often moved her Ministers to secure relief from the lekin tax, but without success.” Lord ELGIN, he Board of Trade, the Foreign Office, and region, Wuchow, on the contrary, is acces- which this colony is so intimately associated,
&
Sir THOMAS WADE were all quoted in support of lekin, and the upshot was that
score.
have been misled is not, perhaps, under the circumstances, altogether surprising. On some points, however, statistics are available, and these do not support the views put forward in the report. As His Excellency says, there has been a decline in the imports into China through the Kow- The success which has attended the work-loon Customs station, as compared with ing of the transit pass system at Mengtzu those of 1895, of over Tls. 400,000, and the increase of trade it has caused is but it should also be mentioned that with encouraging for the future of Wuchow, pro- the solitary exception of 1895 the returns vided the transit pass regulations are faith- are the largest that have ever been shown fully observed there. Mengtzu is difficult ince the opening of the station. of access and serves a comparatively poor over, the total foreign trade of China, with
More-s
sible to steamers the whole year round and was not only higher than in 1895, but the is most favourably situated as a distributing | highest on record. Again, His Excellency
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