Page
July 15, 1899.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
7. The overstocking of the market with arrivals of new brands which are unsaleable. hands of foreigners, owned by disreputable 8-The interrupted sale of the article in the Chinese adventurers.
I should now like to deal with other points raised in your article. I note that you have to admit that Sir Robert is not infallible and now arrived at the stage where you are prepared that the British Government has awakened, following his lead in the past, they have made none too soon be it remarked, to the fact that in grave mistake (1 go further, and maintain be state of the Chinese Empire_vis-a-vis the is entirely responsible for the present deplorable European Powers and for the phenomenal Mongolia, and North China)-- and that the extension of Russian power over Manchuria, proper sphere for his energies is the which is as much as he can attend to with Customs, advantage. That, I think, is a great deal more than you would have admitted, say, five years large number of letters and contributed articles ago, and I have good reason to think that the I have sent to your columns during that period have mainly contributed to bring that fact home to you and to our own Government.
ness of this business was due to the immense Your correspondent alleges that the slack- importation of this commodity by Chinese junks, etc. and highly improbable. He evidently forgets This is a reckless conjecture that these goods imported by native craft from Macag or Hongkong to this Island are required to pay the proper duty before their landing. He has also lost sight of the well known drawback, which is highly unfavourable to the native trade by Chinese craft, and this is that a considerably higher freight is charged lekin system was introduced for the purpose of on goods carried by them than by steamers. The raising money towards defraying the expenses of forts and guns to ensure better protection to the country, and it cannot be denied that the protection thus secured is equally participated You also say that Sir Robert has never made In and enjoyed by both Chinese and European any secret of his opinion that China would traders within the dominions of China. interested parties are of opinion that our De naturally and without violent pressure from If the reform from within and that progress would come partment is really an inconvenience so very without. What Sir Robert based that opinion detrimental to their business interest there is upon I fail to see; anyway, experience has proved nothing to prevent them from putting their it to be an erroneous opinion and I hope 1 shall goods through the proper channels by paying not be aconsed of throwing mud if I add that the half-duty and the proper duty to the Cus-such an opinion would conour with his personal toms and then a lekin to the respective Lekiu interests, and as he is admitted to be, like all of stations. As all these certificates are within us, not infallible, his personal interests would easy reach of both Chinese and foreigners alike, be apt to colour his views. it is only idle to make such anreasonable remarks against this Department under the colour of grievance, when there are so many available. remedies open to them. availing themselves of those remedies, they have Instead of aggravated their offence by avowedly purhcas- ig foreign influence to evade the payment of this legal taxation. done, their character is better imagined than Bebaring as they have described. The letter charges us with having worked in league with a certain British subject who is interested in the monopoly in question. This is a false accusation, and we declare that we have done nothing more than what is required of us by the Ordinauce.
ed in league with Foreigners in this trade, paying them a bouns of five dollars on every 10 cases of kerosine disposed of under the in. fluence of the latter, who in return for this remuneration undertook to smuggle the said goods into the interior market free of lekin charge and the half duty. This had deprived the farmer of a considerable proportion of his takings, and in consequence of this robbery he had suffered great pecuniary loss. He had not the sense to take his stand on the Treaty to op- pose these unlawful proxies in this trade. Be- ing entirely without any help to legal remedy, he secretly reduced the rate of his lekin on kerosine to $10 per 100 cases with a view to run down the illegal competition of these represen- tatives, but as he did this the foreign mer- chants brought their charges down to $2.50. The former then again reduced it to $5. while latter came down to $1.50. This having proved unavailing, the farmer reduced it again to $3 as a last resort, but the foreigners made a still greater reduction, cutting their commission down to $1. The farmer, finding that he was only playing a losing game, had to withdraw from the field and abandon altogether the modopoly. These were the circumstances under which he resigned. It must be borne in mind that the farmer had no right to reduce the rates, which proceeding was in contravention of the Ordinance passed by the authorities with the special object of protecting this particular revenue to be raised for the better and more efficient protection of the country. Being eu- trusted with this responsible duty, we 88 the present farmers of the monopoly feel in duty bound to abide by the scale and insist on the full rate being paid. We will also call your correspondent's attention to the fact that the former farmer did not reduce the rate until the 24th year (1898). Prior to this date, be collected it at the full figure as specified in the tariff. We are at a loss to know how on earth your correspondent com. plains that this office is a detriment to the iu Lerests of his business, and bow it is that prior to our taking over the farm the foreigners had not raisell their voice to condemn it. The matter looks suspicious and we cannot help thinking that the complaint was actuated by pique orig nating frou the case of Shau Ting- fat, who was apprehended for smuggling and was punished by the Magistrate and his goods confiscated. The smuggled goods consisted of 20 cases of kerosine oil. He had a foreign merchant's licence, but was without the half duty certificate and the pass bearing the official seal. The case was tried and one half of his goods was ordered to be confiscated. Apart from this case, there was another grudge which was brought about through the smuggling of the Yuen Wo shop, which was found conspiring with certain foreigners to pass 4,000 cases of kérosine as foreign property, which were upon examination proved to be owned by native dealers. The smugglers, on being arrested for the offence, requested Tsoi Tai-ki and Chan- Tsun-sam to intercede for them. proposing to square up with us by payment of the penalty and, in addition, the lekin on the goods the payment of which they had attempted to avoid. This we accepted out of consideration for their hard plea, and discharged the offenders. The impartiality displayed in the trial of the two cases quoted above is, we venture to state. the reason which has prompted your corres- pondent to make the unsavoury remarks in his advertised letter against our department. Your correspondent also complains of the falling off of the kerosine importation to Hainan. In response to this. we admit that, since we took over the monopoly from our predecessor, the quantity of this freight to the Island has been very small, and this falling off is attributed to nothing but the following incidents:-
1. The bot season, when kerosine is less consumed in this district.
The increased value of this article. The observance of the Dragon Boat festi- val when Chinese business was for the time being suspended, for the general settlement of outstanding accounts.
Scarcity of money in the market. -The overstocking of the market with this article.
6-The increased price of kerosine of the popular brand in
Hongkong by 20 cents per
SHUN TAK TONG.
Hoihow, July, 1899.
SIR ROBERT HART AND HIS DETRACTORS.
T
TO THE EDITOR OF THE
} DAILY PRESS.
criticising my letter in your issue of the same SIB,-In your leading article of the 5th July
the Joss you have set up for yourself. That date you bring the charge of throwing mud on charge you have no ground for making, as I hope to show, and you are not likely to succeed in impressing ou the public the views you hold Chinese Customs have proved themselves to be as to the unmixed blessing which the Foreigu
against those whose views differ from your own to this Colony by bringing groundless charges on this subject. In this and my previous letter there are three points which I have made against the head of the Chinese Maritime Customs, which are as follows:-
administration of this Colony on behalf of the Ist.That he has attempled to take over the Chinese Government.
end in view.
2nd. That he has held out bribes with that
3rd. That he practically annuls concessions by laying down rules which remove the kernel wrung from the perverse Chinese Government of the concession and leave the shell.
General Black, is my authority for the first Now, Sir, our late Acting Governor, Major- statement; the Chairman of the local Chamber the able British Consul at Wuchow is my autho of Commerce is my authority for the second;
rity for the third.
I do not think you will be prepared to charge is, to my way of thinking, a greater and better any one of these three gentlemen (each of whom man then your joss, if less widely known by repute in that they serve their own country and with throwing mud, and by what line of reason not the corrupt government of a rotten Empire)
lective statements consist of mud I entirely fail ing you arrive at the conclusion that their col- to see. Possibly your readers may follow you, or you hope they may.
56
of nepotism, but qualify that statement by Further on you admit that he has been guilty saying that his nepotism has always been severe- agree with you with the exception of the word ly tempered by regard for efficiency. I must
not followed this course he would have proved always," Lut I maintain, likewise, that had be
he is an extremely able man and those who himself a fool. No one, however, doubts that oppose him do so for the reason that they believe his great ability is opposed, on many points, to the interests of his own country.
Customs is not one in which the introduction You maintain that the Chinese Maritime
of the competitive system could be recom- mended. Again I differ from you, I bellers that the appointments ought to be made by drawing from a numbered list of candidates in the order in which they are entered on that list after each examination, such examination and lists to be made by the British Foreign Office, who would control the nomination and appointment of British candidates. Other Eur- opean Governments are well able to and do make their own arrangments. Such a method would man patronage which now exists and the making do away with many of the old abuses of the one of a great Chinese Government Department a family affair. Now that Russia, France, Ger many, and Great Britain are marking off their to become a portion of their Empires, it will be respective spheres in China," which are, later, of great advantage to each of them to have educational standard and experienced in the number oft heir own nationals, tested as to their country they will be called upon to fill admini- strative appointments in, ready for taking over the government of the country. Such provision sion arrives. I think, possibly, the India Office, will say much disorder when the day of" divi- rather than the Foreign Ofice, might be entrusted with the scheme, for they are daily taking a greater interest in Chinese affairs, recognizing the importance to India of the coming dissolution of the Chinese Empire.
You say that the suggestions put forward by Sir Robert for the collection of the Chinese on him to make. Once more I fail to follow revenue were only those which his duty called you in your line of argument, but take the view called for and showed a total lack of patriotism- that they were far in excess of what his duty possibly patriotism is not one of the necessary faculties of your idol, or am I again guilty of such demands to the Chinese Government throwing mud?-as he might well have left or its Foreign Office, the Tsung-li Yamen, and contented himself with showing what the new conditions of an extended Hong- arrangements he was prepared to make under
Salisbury's despatch really called for in reply kong frontier, which was what Lord and not demands for administrative rights within the Colony itself. Lord Salisbury, it,
|
1
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.