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CHINA ÖVERT, ND TRADE REPORT.A
The boiling establishments of the farm. its retailing shops, and its books and accounts shall be open at any time to the inspection of an officer of the Chinese Customs specially deputed for that purpose.
to them describe the real condition of the Com-- pany or not, or whether it is the auditors' duty to ascertain the real state of the Company's affairs. The article concludes as follows :-"By all means, let us have careful, honest auditing; not perfunctory, scamped work by accountants 6.-All Ordinances regarding the posses who dole out minute fractions of their talents sion, movement, preparation, or sale of opium to many companies. Let us abolish the prac.in the Colony and its waters, afloat and ashore, tice of framing ingeniously-worded non-com- shall be rigidly enforced by the Colonial Exe. mittal certificates intended to protect, not the cutive, and its officers rewarded from proceeds shareholders, but the anditor. But let us also of seizures with a view to encouraging zeal. have done with the day of cheap suditing." All proceeds of sale of confiscated goods shall Which of the two views is that held by be divided equally between the Chinese and Hongkong anditors ? Perhaps they would Colonial Governments. all agree with the Times in the desire to be done with the day of cheap auditing; but the mere adding up of columns of figures placed before them-if that is the view they take of their duties—is not work that calls for high remuneration. In the Times' article it is men. tioned, in connection with the Surrey Commer- cial Dock Co., that to test the accuracy of an item of £52,000 in respect of outstanding charges in the company's books some 50 clerks were employed for a month, and their work was supplemented by that of examiners and officials. The auditors did not verify every item, but they made surprise visits or searches as to partionlar entries taken at random.
SIK ROBERT HART'S PROPOSALS RE THE KOWLOON CUSTOMS. The following despatch from Sir Robert Hart to Sir Claude MacDonald is published in the recently-issued China Blue Book :-
Inspectorate General of Customs, Peking,
June 27th, 1898.
Sir, I have the honour to acknowledge re- ceipt of your Excellency's despatch of the 24th Jane, informing me that you have received a communication from Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, asking you, in view of the recent leasing to Great Britain of part of Kowloon peninsula and the adjacent islands, what arrangements the Imperial Mari. time. Customs of China would propose, and where stations would be placed, and in reply to state in the following numbered paragraphs what, in my opinion, will be necessary in and around Hongkong and its new territory to safe. guard the revenue interests of China, a task which will be made in consequence of the in- creased area to be looked after, both onerous aud expensive.
The proposals are made in the belief that Her Majesty's Government desire to give China liberal and sustained support in the pro- tection of her revenue in that neighbourhood.
I. The right of the Chinese Customs to maintain its office in Hongkong, where it is now only unoffio ally acknowledged, ought to be formally admitted, and the status of the Commissioner of Customs as a Chinese official recognised.
The existing sub-stations at Changchow, Capsuimoon, Lai-chee-kok, and Fotochow ought to be maintained as at present, although they are in the leased territory. If it should be found that other stations are required they may be instituted.
2.-The Chinese Customs at Hongkong shall have the right there to collect duty and likin on any opium and similarly dues and duties on general cargo shipped on any native vessel to or from China. The Customs ought also to have the right to one or more special jetties in proximity to junk anchorages at which cargo may be examined and verified.
3.The Chinese Customs cruisers and launches may continue to exercise their func- tions within the waters of the leased territory.
4-No opium, raw or boiled, shall be landed or stored, taken delivery of, or shipped in Hongkong. British Kowloon, or any of the leased territory without a permit to be issued by & Colonial authority. Opium moved without permit, or found anywhere or in any quantity in contravention of Colonial Ordinance shall be confiscated.
5.-The opium farm, ie., an official establishment with an exclusive right to retail (only boiled) opium, shall be maintained, and the Ordinance Nos. 22 of 1887, and 21 of 1891, concerning opiam movement, &c., shall be con- firmed and amended to meet new circumstances, and to make good those points on which they are insufficient.
7-No arms, munitions of war, or contraband goods may be shipped on any vessel proceeding to a Chinese port in Hongkong or its waters, without a permit issued or countersigned by the Chinese Customs,
8.-The Hongkong Government shall pass such legislation as may be necessary to give effect to the above provisions.
The above-numbered paragraphs are put forward merely to represent what I consider it proper should be done at Hongkong to meet Chinese revenue requirements. I may, however, express the opinion that the sys- tem it provides for and more especially the recognized presence of a fully authorized Chinese Customs at Hongkong, gives promise of enabling measures to be taken which will make the working of the West River trade, especially at those places of call to seawards of the first port (Samshui) considerably easier than at present; also, of securing arrangements which up under the new inland steam navigation rules. might facilitate the trade anticipated to grow In both respects anything which may be pos- sible-and without a custom-house I do not see that much will be possible-is sure to redound well as of the Chinese trade. On this point, how- to the commercial advantage of the Colony as
ever, the occasion does not call upon me to say more at present. I have, &c.
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(Signed) ROBERT HART,
Inspector-General of Customs.
THE VICEROY'S PROPOSED
GULATIONS" FOR THE
NEW TERRITORY,
"RE-
The following are the despatches referring to the Viceroy of Canton's proposed regulations for the New Territory-
TSUNGLI YAMEN 10 BIR C. MACDONALD.
Peking, 10th September, 1898. On the 4th September Yamen received the following communication from the Viceroy of Canton :-
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stating the agreement come to in connection I am in receipt of the Yamen's despatch,
with the British proposals for an extension. under lease, of the colouy of Hongkong, and inclosing a copy of the map appended to the original Memorial to the throne.
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be a great extent of sea, without a commanding station, entailing heavy expense in survélifance by revenue-cruisers. Further smuggling will be facilitated, and the yearly loss to the revenue will amount to a million and some hundreds of thousands of taels. The sole concern of the Custom-house in the Bettlement, being the col lection of duty, British interests will not be prejudicially affected. Moreover, as the Com- missioner will constantly employ steamers and oruisers, the protection and defence of Hong- kong will be all the more fully provided for.
3.-Land in the new Settlement belonging to Chinese subjects should pay the usual land tax to the Chinese autorities. If this is all levied by Great Britain, then arent must be calculated, the amount of which need not be considered now.
"4.-There is a great extent of sea included in the new Settlement. Setting aside the ter ritorial waters of Hongkong, which, being Bri- tish territory, Chinese Government vessels must not enter to seize criminals, the search for and arrest of such in the new Settlement should be undertaken by the two Governments conjointly. This is the meaning of the provision agreed upon by the Yamen, that the waters of Mira Bay and Deep Bay shall be free to Chinese ves- sels of war, whether neutral or otherwise."
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to the British Consul on the above subject on A copy of the despatch which was addressed
the 15th July is inclosed, and I have the honour to request the Yamen to examine it and come to an agreement with Sir Claude MacDonald. who should be asked to inform the Foreign ment, and to press for the immediate appoint- Office by telegraph of the terms of the arrange-
ment of a delimitation Commissioner.
The Yamen see no objection to the Viceroy's proposals, and have therefore the honour to communicate them to Sir C. MacDonald that he may act accordingly. The favour of a reply ~ is requested.
A copy of the Viceroy's despatch to the Consul is inolosed.
THE VICEROY of Canton TO CONSUL MANSFIELD, Kuang Heu, 24th year, 5th moon, 27th day
(July 15th, 1898), Sir,-Some days ago I had the honour to receive your despatch with regard to the Settle- ment at Hongkong, in which you asked me to dispatch an officer to discuss matters with you.
I have accordingly, as a first messure, drawn up Regulations, in eleven clauses, on the lines of the despatch received from the Tspngli Yamen, and I have intrusted the management of this matter to my Foreign Deputy, Wang Ts'un-shan, a 'T'aotai Kuangtung.
en disponibilité" for
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I have, therefore, the honour to request you to transmit the Regulations to his Excellengs the Governor of Hongkong.
If, after perusal thereof, he finds he can gulations, I will, at an early date, dispatch an arrange matters in accordance with these Ke-
official to Hongkong to determine the bound."
Inclosed is a copy of the Regulations. Į have, &c. (Seal of Viceroy).
REGULATIONS, The boundaries, as shown in the map, are upon the authority of the Taungli Yamen's original map, and in delimiting the boundaries according to this map, there will be no need for discussion (as to its authority).
"I observed that the British Minister, Siraries. C. MacDonald, says that the extension is for the defence and protection of Hongkong. Kwangtung, and alarm in this colony would Hongkong lies very near to the province of meau uneasiness in the province. China has therefore no objection to offer against anything that makes for the defence and protection of Hongkong, and cannot but assist any means of the sort strenuously. The important questions involved in this matter referring to the non- removal of officials and offices, the retention of] jetties, the planning beforehand of railways, the free movement of war vessels, and the non- confiscation of property, has all been arranged by the Yamen, and need not be discussed again; but after close consideration four other points
occur to me.
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"1.-The Yamen's Memorial to the throne speaks of tan chang' (conditions of lease), and tsu chieh (the Chinese usually employed for 'concession' or 'settlement').. In the foreign text the extension should therefore be called a 'settlement.'
"2.-As official Yamens are not to be removed, the Custom-houses should also remain as before, This will accord with the promise in the original Agreement to lend every assistance in Customs matters. If the five Custom-houses must all be removed beyond the limits of the extension, the Commissioner of Customs says that there will
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2.-After the boundaries have been deter- mined, boundary stones snall be erected, the Chinese insoription on which shall read -
Boundary of the Settlement in extension of Hongkong."
The English inscription shall read:
pression:-
Boundary of the Settlement," ̈and the ex-
"Boundary of the Colony" must not be used.
3. The officials of the city of Kowloon shall, as heretofore, exercise their several functious within the city, but they must not place any impediments in the way of military works con- * neeted with the defences of Hongkong, angna
make free use of the existing road between 4.-Chinese officials and people shall, as usual, Kowloon and the › Hsin An district without let” or hindrance.
5.-Chinese vessels of war, merchant #akingso passage boat, and other craft of all kinds shall have free socess to, and liberty to,
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