October 21, 1901.]
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that the Emperor should be permitted to return alone to Peking and assume the Government, hinting not obscurely that unless this request was complied with the whole of South China would soon rise in rebellion. Nevertheless we do not believe the Empress Dowager will consent to the emancipation of His Majesty from her leading strings unless very strong pressure is put upon her. She will probably treat the veiled threat of the people of the Two Kwang as a mere brutum fulmen, and it will only confirm her in her obstinate deter mination to maintain her own personal authority paramount and supreme.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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and practically we have got almost nothing | inpediment to enterprise in China will be in return. Unless the collection by the trotted out and worked for all that it is Foreign Customs collectorate of the native worth. The Customs will continue to Customs at Treaty Ports be regarded as a interpret the Inland Waters' Regulations to special concession, we have practically our detriment, and prevent any development gained nothing. The precautions taken to of trade in the navigation of the West secure the future safety of inmates of the River and other inland waterways of South The mandarins will invent new Legations cannot be so regarded; they are China. simply measures to prevent a recurrence of taxes to take the place of lekin, and all the a savage attempt to wipe out the foreign old struggles against illegal taxes will have to be renewed. This may Bound very representatives in the capital.
pessimistic, but a lengthened experience of Chinese ways and wiles and of the indiffer- Office has taught us the folly of expecting ence or want of vigour of our own Foreign much from an amendment of the Treaties. Blessed is he that expecteth little from either his own Govenment or that of China, for he will not be disappointed. Those who fondly think that the Boxer
China will prove to be greatly mistaken. outbreak has cleared the air and straightened the way for reforms and improvements in The forces of progress in the Celestial
But the Chinese Government, which has, in some cases, been dealt with tenderly, and throughout with leniency considering the frightful nature of the outrage so calmly sanctioned, is, as usual, incapable of THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND appreciating such consideration and simply sets it down to weakness and ineptitude on the part of the Western Powers. On the very first occasion, and without loss of time, shown their teeth and in effect promptly the so-called Imperial Government have reminded the hated foreigner that he need look to China for no favours in the future.
THE PETITION.
(Daily Press, 16th October.) readers as appended their signatures to the It will be satisfactory to such of our recent Petition to the Secretary of State for the Colonies regarding Hongkong's sanitary condition to know that the Chairman of the It may be intended as a hint, perhaps, that Empire are at present very much under a
Petition Committee has received the follow ing letter from the Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, C.M.G., Colonial Secretary:-
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In continuance of my letter No. 1,708 of the 12th of last July, I am directed to state, for the information of the signatories of the Petition regarding the sanitary condition of Hongkong, that the matter is receiving the very full attention of the Secretary of State for the Colonies."
the Dragon's teeth have not yet been drawn, and if so it may prove timely. We are wont to be far too easy-going, too prone to condone breaches of Treaty stipulations, to allow of strained interpretations of their meaning. After the conclusion of the Treaty of Tientsin, the Chinese Govern- ment commenced without d lay to whittle down the value of its provisions by the imposition of fresh and illegal inland duties The news is welcome. We shall trust and by placing all possible obstructions before very long to see the outcome of the in the way of trade with the interior, while attention of the Secretary of State, and in even the Maritime Customs were recently in- the meantime all signatories of the Petitionstructed to make regulations that neutralised are justified in feeling that they have con- the value of the right to trade on the Inland tributed their share to the future progress Waters of China, only gained after prolonged of this Colony and that their efforts to make it a reasonably healthy place of resi-negotiations and as compensation for many wrongs suffered and injuries unredressed dence for Europeans and others in the Far Indeed, the history of Treaty relations with East will not be entirely disregarded.
China may be summed up. as one long struggle to secure the recognition of Treaty EXCLUSION OF FOREIGNERS IN rights. In no other country in the world,
PEKING.
(Daily Press, 19th October,)
a
be able to make themselves felt materially cloud, and it is improbable that they will
for many years to come.
JAPAN'S PROGRESS.
The
(Daily Press, 15th October.) Naturally, as an indication of the progress of a nation as compared with its neighbours, we look to the means provided for the movements of passengers and goods; and here the advance of Japan has been enor- mous within the past few years. mountainous character of the interior of the islands composing the Empire has been a deterrent to the extension of railway lines through the country generally; so that but few trunk-lines exist except along the coast, where they have to stand the competition of coasting vessels. Notwithstanding this fact, the length of railways at work extends to 3,700 miles, while a thousand miles nore are under construction. The number of we imagine, has such a continuous fight had train-miles run in 1899-1900 was 26/ to be made against bad faith, corruption, millions, while the receipts amounted to Five years before, the trickery, and evasion. In none, probably, 39 million ven. have valuable rights been lost and oppor-length of lines open was 2,120 miles, tunities wasted to such an extent by want and the receipts but 13 million yea... of perseverance and energy in dealing with How the habit of travelling is growing cn this official obstruction and bad faith as in the Japanese may be inferred from the fact the Central Kingdom.
that whereas five years ago each individual took but one railway journey in the year, in 1900 the average had grown to upwards of two-and-a-half. Of these voyagers, it is interesting to note, but 33 were killed dur- ing the year, though this, through a single very serious accident, was vastly in excess of the previous average, which for the past five years had been only nine.
It might well have been thought, with
The action of the Chinese Government in reference to the prosecution by foreigners of trade in the capital can only be desig- nated as petty ill-feeling. It seems that number of foreign merchants and traders, encouraged so to do by the presence of the army of occupation, established hongs and stores outside the Legation Quarter. the experience of the last forty years to The Chinese Government, so soon as the guide them, that the Treaty Powers would evacuation by the foreign troops had been have taken good care to obtain such carried out, lost no time in addressing a guarantees for the fulfilment of existing note to the Foreign Ministers calling atten- Treaty provisious and the concession of tion to the existence of these firms and such new privileges as are necessary to stores, and requesting that orders should be secure the smooth working of the Treaties.
Still more remarkable as indicating the given to them to re-transfer their business But it is to be feared that, while conceding without delay to the Treaty Ports. Now to the Chinese Government what virtually lines of advance adopted by the Japanese is it is quite true that Peking is not a Treaty amounts to the doubling of the tariff, the the growth of their merchant navy, and it Port, and that the Chinese are within their Powers have neglected to insist on the is important to note that the greatest pro- rights in refusing to allow foreign trade to stipulations requisite to make the inland gress has been made in vessels of the be carried on in that sacred and odorous waters navigation a real benefit and the largest and newest types. In the early opening " of the country city. But, on the other hand, it could do right to trade with the interior something years after the "
more than a mere name. Such little Japan was a favourite dumping-ground for the Chinese mandarins no harm to permit
matters as the right for foreigners to réside | old or unsuitable steamers which could such trade to be carried on, and, as
Now all matter of fact, a limited business in curios and trade in Peking, if so inclined, should return no profit to their owners. and stores was permitted before the recent also have been demanded, because, though this is changed, and we find the Japanese murderous attack on the Legations. In the volume of such trade is never likely to owning no less than 148 steamers of over Tokyo, too, before the Treaty of 1894 with be great, it ought, after the outrages of 1,000 tons, the total tonnage indeed being new ships Japan was concluded, by which the country 1900, to have been insisted upon and efforts 382,400. Most of these are was opened up to foreigners for trade and made to open up the Chinese capital to specially built to order, and of the highest This type, while not an inconsiderable number residence, foreigners were allowed to con- foreign influence as much as possible duct trade. It is rather a remarkable chance was evidently forgotten or over- have been built by the Japanese themselves circumstance that this privilege to trade in looked, and the Chinese Government have in their own building yards. Not content Peking and reside there was not included accordingly been able to inflict their first with a merely coasting trade, the Japanese in the terins of the new agreement with check upon the intruding Westerns. We have occupied largely the Chinese and China. We have just made a tremendous may be sure that, if the Empress Dowager Corean coasts and rivers, and have stretched concession whereby payment of the indem- continues to hold the reins, it will only out to the United States, Australia, and 'nities will be rendered comparatively easy, prove the prelude to others. Every possible India, and even opened a regular line with
th
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