..
7
886
did not promise to prove remunerative, but seeing that it is to be constructed, and is in fact being actively proceeded with, we cannot but regret that it is not in the hands and under the control of British concession- naires. The political influence which the control of railways gives cannot be ignored. Not long since a very jubilant article ap- peared in the Echo de Chine, contributed by a traveller (probably a French missionary) on the Paoting line, in which the writer told how all the English speaking Chinese employés were abandoning their further study of English and making anxious en- quiries as to the best way of setting about acquiring a knowledge of the French language. It may be that the Belgian engineers will find it more to their interest to learn English than to wait until the Chinese railway employés with whom they have to deal have learnt French. English is destined to become more and more the principal language of foreign commercial intercourse with China, and it will no
well A8
AB
on
|
[C
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND ported as follows:-"The Yamen have promulgated regulations for inland navi- gation, referred to in my telegram of "the 29th May to your Lordship, without "discussion, notwithstanding the assurances 'given to me that they should be discussed " with me. As they now stand I consider "these regulations unsatisfactory, and I "have protested against them." Subse- quently the regulations were discussed and amended and received the Minister's approval, but experience has shown that in practical working they reduce the concession to nothing. It rests with the British Go vernment, therefore, to fulfil the declaration made by the Premier, to see that satisfactory regulations are made, and that the value of the concession shall not have its value im- paired by the imposition of restrictions in- consistent therewith. Such restrictions have been imposed, the excuse put forward being the protection of the Provincial revenues. The excuse i invalid, for with free naviga- tion of the inland waters and an honest co lection of the Customs duties the legitimate re- venue would show a large increase, which would more than make up for the abolition of irregular squeezes. Moreover, the foreign merchants have expressed their approval of a revision of the tariff on the condition, an eminently reasonable one, that the tariff shall be adhered to and the collection of duties be conducted honestly. There is no desire whatever to deprive China of her revenue, either Imperial or Provincial.
doubt pass current the Lu-Han Railway
elsewhere, but the fact of the line being under the control of the Belgians, if it does not prevent the spread of the English language and English ideas, will to some extent check it. Then, although it has been denied that the Bel- gian Syndicate is under French and Russian control, there can be no doubt that it enjoys the active sympathy of France and Russia and cordially reciprocates the same. Sym- pathy in that case means influence and the influence will not be exerted in favour of British interests. Yet the Lu- Han Railway is the line by which the British sphere of influence in the Yangtze Valley is to be placed in communication with Peking. Ultimately there will no doubt be another line, namely, from Tientsin to Chinkiang, but there are as yet no signs of the latter being com- menced, whereas the Lu-Han line is ac- tually under construction. Moreover, the Tientsin-Chinkiang line will not be under exclusively British control, but for a part of its length will be a German line. There is no doubt wisdom in the saying that it is no use crying over spilt milk, but it is impossible to avoid a regret that the Lu Han line was not secured for Great Britain. The political importance of the line would, we think, have justified a British guarantee if China's own guarantee was deemed in- sufficient. Unfortunately at the time the contract was negotiated the idea of preserv ing the Yangteze Valley as a sphere of British influence had only partially matured and the Lu-Han Railway project was not taken so seriously by the British Govern
ment as it ought to have been.
CABLE RATES.
(Daily Press, 19th October.)
The mercantile communities of the Far East are looking forward to the establish-
are
no
indica-
inent of cable communication across the Pacific as a menus of relief from the high rates prevailing over the existing lines. It would be a disappointment if it should turn out that the new cable was worked on more liberal lines than the existing routes and tended to strengthen monopolistic rates instead of inducing healthy competition. Surprising as it may seem, there tions that such might possibly be the case. The Australian colonies, it is said, have joined in the Pacific cable scheme rather on poli- tical grounds than with the object of secur ing low rates, and in calculating the proba ble revenue the present rates have been taken as the basis, which would undergo no reduction unless the tarffic showed a fair margin or the competition of the Eastern Extension compelled such reduction. That Company has recently submitted to the Australian Governments a proposal that the Company should lay a cable from the Cape, via Durban, Rodriguez and Cocos Islands, and Perth, to Glenelg, near Adelaide, thus establishing, in conjunction with the cable now being laid to the Cape via St. Helen, an entirely new, all-Britis, and very direct [Daily Press 17th October.]
means of cable communication between the In the light of recent correspondence re- mother country, South Africa, and Australia. specting the failure of the Inland Naviga- The Company in return ask for no subsidy tion Rules on the West River the following or guarantee, the only concession required telegram from the Marquess of SALISBURY being that they should have the right to to Sir CLAUDE MACDONALD dated 6th June have their own offices in Adelaide, Perth, last year possesses exceptional interest and and Melbourne for the collection nud importance "With reference to your delivery of telegrams and to thus deal direct "telegram of the 6th June, your action
with the public. This is no more than is "respecting internal navigation is approved. granted by the British Post Office as a "You should make it clearly understood matter of course to British or foreign Cable "that Her Majesty's Government will Companies whenever requested, but in
insist o
on satisfactory regulations being Australia the whole of the traffic has to pass made, and that the concession, which
through the Post Offices of the respective was freely granted, shall not have its colonies. As regards the tariff, the proposal "value impaired by
the imposition provides for an immediate reduction to four " of restrictions inconsistent therewith.” shillings per word, which would come into Sir CLAUDE MACDONALD had re-force on the concession being granted and the
THE FAILURE OF THE INLAND NAVIGATION RULES.
[October 21, 1899.
proposal being accepted by the Australian Governments, and would not be deferred until the new cable should be laid. In addition to this, provision is made for fur-
ther reductions on a sliding scale as traffic may increase. Such reductions down to a certain limit would be annual, being based, on the average of the receipts for the pre- ceding three years maintaining a certain standard value,. This standard would be the present guaranteed figure plus the estimated yearly expenses, etc., in connec- tion with the new Cape-Glenelg able. Thus if the Associated Companies' receipts. from Australian traffic at the 4s. tariff in 1898, 1899, and 1900 average as much as the standard figure the tariff would be reduced in 1901 to 3s. 6d. In the same way, if the average of the 1899, 1900, and 1901 receipts comes up to the fixed standard, the tariff would be reduced in 1902 to 33., and if all went well to 2s. 6d. in 1903. Should the average on any occasion fail to reach the standard figure the impending reduction would be deferred until the average for three consecutive years again reached the standard. This proposal holds good whether the Pacific cable be laid or not. There is, however, some diffi-
culty about the concession required, namely, the right of direct dealing with the public at Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne, but the only opposition to it is at Melbourne, where, although the public, the press, and the
Chamber of Commerce are in fovour of the
proposal, the Postmaster General opposes it. This opposition, which it appears was formerly shared by the Postmaster of New South Wales, is said by the Sydney Telegraph to be based on "the extraordin- ary decision that if the proposals for a
Cape cable be officially recoguised there "must be no undercutting of the rates via "the Pacific, in other words, the long-
41
**
standing complaint that the Eastern Extension Company's rates are too high "is to be ignored and the tariff is to be kept up because the interested Govern- ments wish to lay a strategic and money. making cable across the Pacific. This," adds our contemporary; means that those
着喜
*
66
who use the cable are expected to pay 'highly for the privilege of having a second "cable when they might pay less and have "increased facilities if the third cable were
"laid." The Melbourne Age, treating the matter from another point of view, re- minds its readers that the British Go- vernment long since promised that the State cable should have no undue pre- ference over the Cable Companies' lines, and that consequently there can be no objec tion to the Company being allowed to deal directly with their own customers in the same way as the Pacific cable will be able to do.
There can be little doubt that the opposition such as it is will eventually be overcome and that the cable will be laid. When that is done the Aus tralian colonies will be within measurable distance of reasonable telegraphic rates, independently of any relief that may rightly or wrongly be looked for from the Pacific cable. The cheapening of Australian rates only indirectly affects us in the Far East, but if those rates were 6d. the anomaly of reduced to 2s. charging 5s. 6d. per word for a message from London to Hongkong would become too glaring to be longer supported. The for reductions on others, and from that reduction of rates on one line paves the way
point of view the proposal made by the Eastern Extension Company to the Aus- tralian colonies possesses some interest for this part of the world.
Use A eulgul oIN DI
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.