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THE UNITED STATES AND
CHINA TEAS.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
THE BRITISH YUNNAN RAILWAY QUESTION.
[December 2, 1901.
BOULGER'S aims, as indeed all must be who hope for the advancement of British trade with China. It is in every way desirable (Daily Press, 29th November.)
that a railway shall be constructed to link The intimation conveyed in REUTER's mes-
(Daily Press, 30th November.)
India with the Upper Yangtsze region. In the last number but one of the Fort- But no good can be done save by approach- sage of the 26th inst. has not the interest
nightly Review there appears an article by ing the question in a practical spirit. In it would have held for merchants in China a
Mr. DEMETRIUS BOULGER on the subject the past the consensus of opinion was decade ago. The tea-trade of China is now
of "India's Interest in China." The Times against the practicability of any such rail- unfortunately, except with Russia, com- paratively unimportant, and even what is of India of the 9th November contains a
way scheme whatever. Recently more at- left will not be greatly affected by a decrease very interesting criticism of this article, tempts have been made to combat this view, in the demand from the United States. taking the practical side of the question in and expert surveyors have been busy at REUTER tells us that the report of the Secre- opposition to Mr. BOULGER's over-sanguine work. We do not, however, hear the results tary for Agriculture in the United States sets theorising. The Bombay journal admits of their investigations. It is plain that out that the experiment of ten-growing in that in endeavouring to impress upon the before the money can even be asked for a that country has been successful and that home public the supreme importance of railway to the Yangtsze it must be demons- the teas are equal in flavour and aroma to regarding Indian interests in any settlement trated that the railway can be built without the best imported qualities The Great of the Chinese difficulty, Mr. BOULGER is such expenditure as to put it altogether out Republic has, however, never been a great performing a useful service, but wishes that of the question. It is no doubt still neces- consumer of ten, and the amount exported he had fulfilled. his task with a clearer per- sary to impress upon the home public how from China and Japan thither has steadily ception of the realities of the situation, and much communication by rail between India declined of late years instead of increasing, with a less frequent tendency to belittle the and the interior of China would benefit as should be the case. The latest returns very great difficulties that undoubtedly British trade. But the appeal for support show a falling off of nearly fifteen million exist. It is eminently desirable (says the must be made to business men, who want pounds in the export this season to the end Times of India) that the British people to know the details of the scheme and its of October. In a few years probably the ex- should be made to understand how deeply reasonable possibility; the same applies in port will be practically nil, and the home India is concerned in the future of China; the case of Government support. No airy grown leaf will supplant not only that from it is equally imperative that they should not belittling of the difficulties to be overcome the Far East but also that from other foreign main burden of the Fortnightly article is the ments which are to convince must be based be misled, however unintentionally. The
can serve any purpose at all. The argu- countries. Whether the Americans will, in
on the evidence of experts. This we sin- the event of the plant becoming extensively necessity of the extension of the British cultivated in the States, turn tea-drinkers railway system into Western China, and cerely trust will be forthcoming. Even on a large scale we are unable to say. Pro- the writer is enthusiastic over the prospects then the fight on behalf of the scheme is bably they will, and dyspepsia, which is now
of railway communication between India and
sure to be hard. It is not to be expected very prevalent owing to the general indul- China. He con ends that as a prelude to that the British Government will embark gence in iced drinks and sweets, will further railway construction beyond the frontier,
on an extremely costly undertaking with the "an elaborate scheme of railways," to be readiness which Russia showed in the mat- increase. The "cup that cheers but not
Government guaranteed ter of the Siberian line; nor do we know at inebriates " requires to be used judiciously constructed by
loans of twenty millions," should be intro- present of any British DOUMER who will or it may easily degenerate into an
Whereon our create an enthusiasm such as was tempor- evil. It is the duty of medical men and duced in Upper Burma. scientists in all countries to teach the Indian contemporary remarks :- "We canarily manifested of late in France for the people how to to avoid extracting the dele- imagine what reception would be accorded
Yunnan railway scheme. The circumstances by Government--very properly to any of the three undertakings are totally differ- terious properties of tea, coffee, and other non-alcoholic stimulants, that what "project for an elaborate scheme of rail- should really prove a blessing may not,
ways in any province, and particularly through want of knowledge, really turn out
in Upper Burma Mr. BOULGER must The teas of China are freer from "have studied railway policy in India tannin and less acrid than those of India very little purpose if he seriously im- and Ceylon, though at present less scienti- agines that it would be possible at present fically grown, and should enjoy a large
"to spend twenty millions in five years in market if only the Chinese Government one corner of the frontier." The financial Mr. would recognise that they must be freed from obstacles to any such schemes, as the heavy export duty which now handicaps BOULGER advances are indeed serious, and the cheaper varieties in their competition it seems impossible for any one who is not with their rivals. The Chinese Government rather a visionary to imagine that the Go- must do something to promote their exportvernment is likely to take up with willing- trade if they wish to get free of their bur-ness expensive railway projects on the den of debt. If they can stimulate the Burmese frontier, or that the investing production of articles of export, the people of China will have the wherewithal to im- port foreign goods, on which their Govern- ment will collect revenue, and so go to swell the income derived from the Customs dues. A short-sighted policy of smothering trade under a load of taxation must no longer be adhered to. What is needed is a general development of trade, by which wealth will be made and prosperity restored to China. To do this the export duties need adjust- ment as much as the import duties required raising. If simultaneously with the increase of the ad valorem duties on imports a re- arrangement and reduction on those imposed on exports is taken vigorously in hand, most beneficial results may reasonably be looked for, and some branches of trade which have for some years been steadily dwindling will rapidly revive.
a curse.
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A correspondent of Le Courrier d'Haiphong writes a long letter from a small town in Yunnan, giving information regarding coal mines in that province. He claims to have found a smokeless coal of good quality in a Lo-lo village named Toudza or Doudzako, about a hundred kilometres east of Yunnanfu hence the title which he gives it of "A New Cardiff."
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ent.
Time may see all three fully realised, but if so the manners of realisation will have been quite dissimilar. The Russian line across Siberia and through Manchuria is practically in existence. It is reasonably safe to prophecy that a British line to the Yangtsze will be the last to be completed.
THE ISTHMIAN CANAL.
¿Daily Press, 26th November.) Our London correspondent announced last week that the draft Isthmian Canal Treaty between the United States and Great Britain public is inclined to look in the direction of had been signed by Lord PAUNCEFOTE and Yunnan for returns on its money. When the Hon. JOHN HAY. It was then stated we see the vehement opposition offered to that the new Treaty does not discriminate M. DOUMER's scheme of attacking Yunnan in favour of United States shipping, all by rail from a far more favourable base, this nations alike sharing the privilege, but M. DOUMER that the United States were left sole guaran- is not to be wondered at. proposes to spend an enormous sum of tors of the Canal's neutrality. In the last money, and his opponents very naturally number to hand of the Times there appears call on the French Government to count the an interesting letter from a special corres- costs fully before giving the Governor-pondent at Washington explaining the situation before the settlement of arrange- General a free han l. Yet the advance on Yunnan from the South-East is physically ments between the two Governments. The a far easier task than the rival route correspondent of the Times quotes a summ- through Burma. The Times of India (toing-up of the case made by a friend in Octo- quote once more) rebukes Mr. BOULGER ber, and as the Times looks upon this as for begging the question by talking of authoritative we may be pardoned for turning obstacles by detours" and of "the quoting it in full. It runs as follows :——
"The construction of a canal is a neces- improved methods of carrying railways over
"The initial truth sity. It will be built by American capital mountains," and says:-
The CLAYTON-BULWER "to be borne in mind is that a railway and enterprise. "to the Yangtsze can only be con- Treaty recognised certain rights of Great "structed at enormous expense, that Britain in connexion with the making of an "it would no more pay for fifty years inter-oceanic waterway. That treaty is in- "than the Siberian Railway will pay, and applicable at the present time. Conditions "that no one has yet told us where the have changed so far that the United States money is to come from. India cannot can be bound no longer by the terms con- 'afford to pay for it, or even to contribute tained in that agreement. The denunciation "to any material extent." Yet the Bombay of that treaty could not be regarded as a paper is very much in sympathy with Mr. breach of international faith under existing
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