Page
..
1
448
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Her Majesty's Government would be in a posi- | creating such a Monopoly. tion to make representations to the Japanese Government, the tea destined to the United States being an American interest.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient humble servant,
ERNEST SATOW.
FRANCIS CASS, Esq.,
Chairman,
Amoy Chamber of Commerce.
Amoy Chamber of Commerce
Amoy, 30th May. 1900. YOUR EXCELLENCY,
I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your despatch of 18th April.
In reply to your inquiry as to whether, in the applications to the Tamsui Custom for export permite for Formosa tea, it is described as being hipped to Amoy simply or to Great Britain or a British Colony, the Chamber states that it has every reason to believe that the majority of the applications on outward cargo, which suffers from the differential tax, are made for Amoy and/or Hongkong, its ultimate destination not being described. As a matter of fact the ultimate destination is oftentimes only decided in Amoy or Hongkong. The cargo finds its way ul. timately to Great Britain, Straits Settlements, the Colonies, the United States, the Continent of Europe, China, and Japan, and 80 per cent or more is handled by British merchants, no matter what its final destination may be. The trade route established in the year 1858, when Formosa ports were opened to Foreign trade, was for shipment of Formosa produce to foreign comtries via Amoy and/or Hongkong. immense amount of British capital has been sunk in establishing that route and it is a differential tax against it that this Chamber feels it most justly complains of as being unjust and distinctly contrary to Treaty. The Cham- ber feels that British merchants should be allowed to choose their own route of shipment without having to pay an extra tax for so doing. To compel them to ship via Japan, in order to avail themselves of a reduced duty if they do so, seems to be a grave injustice, and is so regarded by the other Chambers in China.
I have the honour to be,
Your Excellency's obedient servant,
FRANCIS CASS,
Chairman.
His Excellency Sir ERNEST SATOW, K.C.M.G., H.B.M.'s Envoy Extraordinary & Minister
Plenipotentiary, Tokyo,
PROPOSED MONOPOLY FOR THE COLLECTION
OF ASHES.
SIE,
Hongkong,
Colonial Secretary's Office,
5th May, 1900.
I am directed to acquaint you for the information of the Chamber of Commerce that
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
F. H. MAY. Acting Colonial Secretary.
The SECRETARY,
Chamber of Commerce.
SIR,
Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce,
Hongkong, 19th May, 1900.
I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 5th inst. (No. 800) inform- ing this Chamber that a tender had been received by the Government for the sole privilege of collecting ashes from steam vessels within the harbour limits, and requesting their opinion upon the desirability or otherwise of creating such a monopoly.
2.-This question has had the prompt con- sideration of the Committee, who, as the result of careful inquiry and deliberation, feel bound to record an opinion adverse to the proposal.
3.--At first blush the project appears free from serious objection and calculated to obviate in some degree an admitted evil, namely, the dumping of ashes into the harbour, thereby causing the foreshore to silt up. The objections to the creation of a new monopoly to be worked by Chinese are, however, not far to seek, and greatly outweigh any benefits which might accrue therefrom. The Committee are opposed on general grounds to the principle of farms,
but
these are accentuated by the manner in which such privileges are worked by the Chinese. It is only necessary to refer to the working of the Conservancy contract to illus. trate the evils arising from these monopolies. This contract is sub-let to such a degree that complaints are constant of the abuses arising from the default of the contractors. There is no guarantee that these evils would not be re- peated in the case of an Ashes contract.
4.---There is a danger that, either from want of visits or inability to see the signals, especially from steam launches, considerable delay in the movements of shipping might attend the esta blishment of an Ash Monopoly, or that steamers would be compelled to carry their ashes out to sea through inability to wait for the arrival of the ash boats.
5.-While it is probable that petty theft pre- vails under existing conditions, it is more than doubtful whether this might not be succeeded. on the event of a Monopoly being granted, by an organised system of bribery, and a greater evil be thus inaugurated.
5. The present system is of course far from perfect, but it has not given rise to any very serious complaint, and if the Police desire to obtain better control over the ash collecting boats, my Committee respectfully suggest this might be done as readily by licensing the boats as by creating a privileged monopoly.
-The greatly enhanced value of the ashes right to collect them which ought to serve as a is causing a wholesome competition for the
June 30, 1909.
tained in a despatch from His Excellency the Viceroy of Kwang Tung, dated 14th April, together with a copy of a letter relating thereto from His Excellency the Vice-Admiral.
I am to request you to be good enough to use your influence with thu masters of British steamers and launches to induce them to slow down when approaching and passing Lak-lao.
I have the honour to be, Bir,
Your most obedient servant, F. H. MAY. Acting Colonial Secretary.
The SECRETARY,
The Chamber of Commerce.
[Extract.]
14th April, 1900.
'With respect to the stoning of the steamer Lung-Kong by people at Lak-lao, I find that the river at Lak-lao is in my district and is tortuous and narrow and that the current runs swiftly. When steamers arrived at this place they were formerly obliged to go slowly; if they did not, collisions with small boats were inevitable and of the river, when they see steamers coming too fast, throw stones to make them go slowly. people and the shopmen living on the two banks
They do this, it is quite evident. to prevent collisions with small boats. Lung-Kong is a place within my jurisdiction, and the steamer in question, although it flies a foreign flag, is run by people of this District. Lung-Kong is very close to Lak-lao, and the owners of the steamer must necessarily know the circumstances of the place. As the steamer did not slow down it seems difficult specially to blame the village I have already people for throwing stones.
ordered the elders and gentry of the place to put a stop to the stone-throwing, but several tens of thousands of merchants and people live there and I am afraid it will prove difficult to point out who throw the stones and put a stop
to it.
I request that a despatch may be written to the Consul to issue instructions to the captains of steamers hereafter when they arrive at Lak lao that they must slow down and proceed at a moderate pace so that collisions with small boats may be avoided.”
SIB,
Centurion at Weihaiwel,
12th May, 1900.
With reference to a despatch from His Excellency the Viceroy of Kwang Tung, dated 14th April, a copy of which has been forwarded to me by the Commodore, on the subject of recent attacks on steam-launches on the West River, I have the honour to inform your Excellency that I quite concur in the sugges tion therein that steamers should be obliged to go slowly when they arrive at Lak-lao, so that collisions with small boats may be avoided, The river or creek there is tortuous and very narrow and it is certainly dangerous to boats and native traffic for steamers to pass through at high speed.
2.-I would suggest to Your Excellency that notice would be given to all British steamers or
a tender has been received by Government for guarantee both against dumping and against steamboats plying in those waters that they are
the sole privilege of collecting ashes from Steam Vessels within the Harbour Limits. The ashes so collected would be shifted at specified places and the valueless refuse deposited on authorised spots on the foreshore.
It is anticipated that if the collection of such ashes were entrusted to a contractor the dump- ing into the Harbour of the considerable quan- tities of valueless ashes, which there is good reason to believe at present takes place, would be obviated.
From a Police point of viewit is expected that the change would also be an improvement, as evi- dence is not wanting that under existing con- ditions the collectors of ashes who prowl round the shipping spend much of their time in thier- ing.
I enclose copy of the Regulations under which such a Monopoly would, if instituted, be enforced and regulated, and I am to add that the con tractor would be required to give substantial security for the performance of his contract and for the honesty of his employees.
I am to request that the Chamber of Com- merce will favour the Government with their opinion upon the desirability or otherwise of
misconduct by petty theft if the boats are licensed.
8.-Apart from other objections to the pro- posal, the Committee earnestly deprecate the establishment of Chinese monopolies, on the ground that they invariably lead to a serious increase in state-created crime, greatly augment- ing the work of the Police, and because, though perhaps indirectly, they constitute a burden on legitimate trade.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient servant, R. CHATTERTON WILCOX, Secretary.
Hon. ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY.
P.S. The copy of the draft Regulations and conditions of the proposed Monopoly is returned herewith, as requested.
1
THE NAVIGATION OF WEST RIVER AT LAK-LAO,
Hongkong,
Colonial Secretary's Office,
5th June, 1900,
SIB,
I am directed to transmit to you for the information of the Chamber of Commerce the enclosed translation of portion of a report con-
always to slow down when approaching and passing Lak-lao, and that His Excellency Li should be informed that such notice has been given.
I have, &c.,
His Excellency
E. H. SEYMOUR,
Vice-Admiral.
Major-General W. J. GASCOIGNE, Ç.M.G.,
Administering the Government,
Hongkong.
Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce,
Hongkong, 8th June, 1900.
SIE,
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your let- ter of the 5th inst. (No 993), enclosing transla tion of a portion of a report contained in a des- patch from H.E. the Viceroy of the Two Kwang, dated 14th April, together with copy of a letter relating thereto from H. E. Vice-Ad- miral Seymour, and requesting the Chamber to use its influence with the masters of British steamers to induce them to slow down when ap- proaching and passing, Lak-lao on the West River.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.