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tection of the lives and property of British sub. jects in any part of China. Both the Foreign Office and Sir ( laude Macdonald unfortunately disregarded this warning, and we were therefore unable, when the uprising occurred, to place a sufficient force on the ground with- ont delay. It is clear that a lamentable and fatal ignorance as to what was transpiring in China prevailed both at the Foreign Office and at the British Legation in Peking. We have been indebted to the Times correspondent much more than to the British Legation for informa- tion about what has occurred from day to day in Peking for some years past. With regard to the present anti-foreign outbreak, however, not only the British Legation but even Sir Robert Hart appears to have been in ignorance of the fact that it was impending. It is only fair also to remember that the representatives of other Powers at Peking have been equally taken by surprise."
With regard to the Settlement Mr. Walton says: "It is essential that it should include the rearrangement of the commercial treaties, so that the Chinese Government shall receive substantially increased import duties, on the following conditions:
Firstly, that all likin is abolished, and that in lieu of it the provincial governments shall receive a certain proportion of the increased
revenues.
带着
Secondly, that the officials are adequately paid, so that it may no longer be excusable to appropriate money passing through their hands. "Thirdly, that the inland waterways and the interior of China shall be opened freely and equally to the trade of all nations, and that a sum shall be allocated out of the imperial re- venues to be expended under International Con- servancy Boards in removing obstructions to navigation on the Yangtze, West, Yellow, and other rivers, which are or will be the great commercial arteries of the Chinese Empire.
Fourthly, that the Chinese Government shall be given the right to take over, on speci- fied terms and conditions, all railways built with foreign capital-the undertakings being mort- gaged to and remaining under the control of the companies providing the capital until prin. cipal and interest have been repaid."
A serviceable map accompanies the volume- the same as was issued as the Daily Mail Com- mercial Map of China by Messrs Philip Son.
THE TRADE OF CANTON.
The Imperial Maritime Customs Report on Canton Trade, compiled by Mr. J. F. Schoenicke, points out that "notwithstanding piracy and the consequent unsettled state of affairs in the Kwangtang province nearly daily written about in Native and Foreign newspapers the year 1899 the record one, the total value of Im. ports and Exports being about 9 million taels in excess of that for 1895, the next best year." Silk in particular yielded large profits to growers and shippers alike. The inland waters steam navigation, though only some 18 months old, increased by leaps and bounds. The Rice crop was poor, through want of rain, and large quantities had to be imported from Wuhu, Tonkin, and Siam. Copper cash was dear, in November one dollar only realising 820 cash. About 200 steam filatures are now at work in the interior, and as the foreign demand for silk is pretty sure to increase, an addition to this number is looked for. Between 1898 and 1899 seven native dockyards for steam-launch con- struction and four engine-shops sprang up, but the demand for new steam-launches cannot increase indefinitely The three steam flour-mills are still running, but the prohibition of flour export
abroad checks this trade.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
| Opuim contributed 29 per cent. of the total | Hk. Tls. 13, 861,995; English Cotton Piece goods and Yarn 10; Kerosene 8; and Indian Cotton Yarn 6 per cent. Nearly all the staple articles increased considerably.
The Revenue of Canton reached Hk. Tla. 2,016,269, the best on record since 1892. Opuim Duties and Lekin advanced considerably on the two previous years; Import and Coast Trade Duties and Transit Dues increased slightly; while Export Duties and Tonnage Dues showed a small falling off.
With regard to Foreign Imports, Mr. Schoenicke says:
"In spite of the fact that the West River ports and stages now draw their supplies from Hongkong, and I believe I am correct in stating that at those places Foreign Imports have again made considerable advances, the value of our Foreign Imports exceeded that for 1898 by very nearly 2 million taels." Indian
Exports reached Hk. Tls. 23,000,000, the record figure. Raw Silk alone contributed 70 per cent. of this, and Silk Piece goods 10 per cent. The report says: "The conditions for the production of Silk being most favourable in this province, there is no reason why in case the demand continues the quantity now exported should not be doubled." And yet last year it had already doubled the figures for 1890. In Tea there was a good demand for lower grades, and for once Foreign shippers are said to have made good profits.
+
There is no call for much comment on Coast Trade, except that increases were recorded. The Inland Transit Trade inwards advanced steadily, 18 Foreign firms being engaged-10 British, 5 German, 2 American, 1 Japanese, A Chinese firm took out 3 passes but did not repeat the experiment.
|
[September 15, 1900,
kerosene, and tobacco (native reimported via Hongkong) show big figures, and a considerable amount of foreign sugar was imported, although Samshui is a sugar-producing district, owing to the superior quality of the foreign article. Native "imports" fell off to the extent of over £3,600.
The principal exports were straw bags, brown sugar, crackers, papers, and tobacco, Sugar, says Mr. Little, promises most for the future of the export trade. The refineries of Hong- kong, he continues, should provide a market close at hand, but the export duty will some- what handicap the native grower. Of the exports over £14,000 went to Chinese ports and the rest of the £85,000 to Hongkong.
Over 1,100 transit passes inwards, covering goods of the value of £17,000., were issued, being about three times the value in the previous year. Of these goods about three-quarters were sold in this province, one-quarter in Kwangsi, and a small quantity went to Hunan. It is noteworthy that most of these passes were taken out by Chinese, thus showing that they are no longer intimidated as formerly from making use of this privilege.
Under Shipping, a slight advance of steamers entered and cleared is recorded, while the num- ber of sailing vessels under foreign flags remains Over 26,000 passengers arrived at and-left about the same. The inland waters steam the port in steamers during the year. Those navigation, says the report, increased to such an carried on native boats towed by launches and extent during the year that there is hardly a on ordinary sailing craft far exceed this figure. town in the Kwangtung delta whose inhabitants The steamers entered and cleared numbered are within a steamer's passage to and from Can-7,910 with a tonnage of over 542,000 tons, being ton. 168 steamers, from 1 to 250 tons, were regis- an increase of some 2,600 steamers and 250,000 tered at the Customs office during the year for tons. Of these, 2,240 with a tonnage of 329,000 inland trade-an increase of about 70 per cent. tons were British, being an increase of about on the previous year. Nine-tenths of the
550 steamers and 111,000 tons. The Chinese steamers were Chinese-owned, while the others
come next with about half the tonnage, but flew the British, German, U.S., or French flags; double the number of steamers, most of them all were entirely manned and commanded by being launches. The Portuguese, German, Chinese, yet not one serious accident occurred. American and French flags share the remain. The river steamers to and from Hongkong and der, the last mentioned having only four vessels Macao carried an average yearly number of half of 32 tons. There is, besides, an immense a million passengers each way.
amount of native shipping passing up and down the river. One day Mr. Little counted 60 boats (many of them large) pass in 40 minutes."
With regard to piracy, Mr. Schoenicke points out that this is nothing new in Kwangtung. The capture of launches or launch- towed passenger junks, by means of sham passengers carrying concealed arms, is a later development, but this has been checked by the fact that the Chinese authorities in the second part of 1899 ordered that launches engaged in passenger-carriage should keep on board a per- manent armed guard to search passengers before the vessels leave port. Cases of piracy considerably decreased in consequence.
According to the census of 1898 Canton and suburbs, including Honam, had a population of 635, 84. Allowing 170,000 for boat population, we get a total of about 800,000. In conclusion the report says: Notwithstanding the pre- valence of bubonic plague in Hongkong during the greater part of the year and the absence of any kind of quarantine measures here it is noteworthy that only few a sporadic cases in the city of Canton were heard of.
CONSULAR REPORT.
BAMSHUI.
For the report on the trade of Samshui in 1899 Mr. Acting Consul Little is responsible, and to him has fallen the lot, as he points out, of being the first to compare the results of two complete years' trade for Samshui was only opened as a Treaty Port in the middle of 1897. It is gratifying, he says, to be able to record that the imports have nearly doubled and the exports more than doubled. Samshui itself is little more than a village and was selected as a Treaty port because of its position at the junction of three important rivers, giving access to an extensive hinterland.
The importa in 1898 were to the value of £192,000, in 1899 £362,000; the exports in 1898 £39,000, în 1899 £85,000. The foreign share of the imports was £351,000 against £177,000 in 1898, nearly all of which came from Hongkong. Cotton goods represent considerably over half the total foreign imports, and the principal increases were in grey and white shirtings, Japanese cotton flannel, cloth and crape, and Indian yarn. Japanese cotton goods were in great favour, owing to their cheapness and good appearance. In Woollens the main increase was in English camlets. Metals rose in value from £129 to £1,900. Among Sundries, raw cotton, aniline dyes, flour, Japanese matches,
There are 14 steamers (drawing about 6 ft.), Mr. Little says, in these waters under the West River Regulations, six making Samshui their terminus. He continues:-
14
The general opinion of competent persons acquainted with local conditions seems to be that flat-bottomed stern wheelers of 2 to 3 feet draught would be the most suitable, and there is one such boat of 140 tons under the American fag runinng between Canton and Wuchow. This boat is able to follow the sbort route from this to Canton and takes only 5 or 6 hours in- stead of 10 or 12 hours required by the deeper draught steamers. As regards the Hongkong ope some doubt seems to be felt whether such boats would be able to make the first part of the massage where rough seas are occasionally met with."
The lighting of the river is urgently needed, and it is difficult to understand why the autho- rities concerned have neglected the matter so long.
Mr. Little proceeds to discuss the restrictions on the river trade, by which West River steamers may not call at inland places and steamers ply- ing under the Inland Navigation rules may not run betwen two treaty ports, and goes into the meaning of the word nei ti, on which so much of the difficulty hinges. He says :—
"The expression inland waters' is stated to have the meaning ascribed to nei ti in the Chefoo Convention, viz., the words nei ti apply as much to places on the sea coast and river shores as to places in the interior, not open to foreign trade.' As the steamers on the Hongkong line leave the territorial waters of China, it is held by the Chinese authorities that they have no claim to the benefits of the inland navigation agreement. The steamers from Canton, however, do not leave the territorial waters, and the only ground for their exclusion from the benefit of this agreement seems to be the provision that inland waters are opened to steamers not being vessels of a sea-going type.. As, however, the provision originally inserted in the rules that inland waters were to be open to 'small' steamers was objected to, and the word 'small' was subsequently omitted, and as the Canton steamers are only about 150 tons,, their size does not appear to be a good reason for their exclusion. The other complaint has been the refusal to allow vessels plying under the Inland Navigation Rules to run between two
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