478
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER | interview with the Commissioner at Govern-
OF COMMERCE.
At the monthly meeting of the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce, held in the Chamber Room, City Hall, at 3 pm, on Thursday, 5th December, 1901) present: Sir Thomas Jackson (Chairman), Mr. U. S. Sharp (Vice-Chairman), Messrs. A. Haupt. W. Poute, R. L. Richardson, N.A. Siebs, H. E. Tomkins, and R. C. Wilcox (Secretary):-
MINUTES.
The minutes of the last monthly meeting (held 7th November) were read and confirmed.”
APOLOGY FOR NON-ATTENDANCE. The SECRETARY produced a letter from Hon. T. H. Whitehead regretting hisin ability to attend owing to a meeting of the Legislative Council having been summoned for the same day and hour.
RESIGNATION FROM THE COMMITTEE. Rend letter from Mr. H. A. Ritchie, dated
the 8th November, tendering his resignation from the Committee, in consequence of his impending departure from the Colony for a
permanence.
mont House, when they went through the Memorandum point by point, and he gave Sir James all the information he could on the various questions. He also subsequently supplied the Commissioner with copies of the Chamber's annual reports with correspondence on various subject and papers of interest marked for his use. On the suggestion of the VICE-CHAIRMAN, It was decided to publish the Memorandum on the Tariff.
PREFERENTIAL DUTIE‘.
Read letter received the previous day from Mr. Thos, Arnold, Secretary of the Hongkorg, Canton, & Macao Steamboat Co., Ld, staling that ke bad received a letter from the Co.'s agent at Macao in referenc: to the and Canton, from which he gave the following steamer Langshan trading between that port extract as bearing on the above important question:-
The compradore of the steamer Lungshan told me the other day that several of the rega- lar shippers by that steamer informed him that they were going to stop shipping per Lungshan in view of the 5 per cant ad valorem du'y nov being collected by the Chinese Maritime Cas toms at Canton. They also told him that by shipping their goods in junks the Native Customs about Canton would levy a lighter P. & O. S. S. N. Co., to fill the vacancy. thought Mr. Hewett's experience at Shanghainty. This constitutes a sort of preferential
Resignation accepted. The CHAIRMAN proposed the election of Mr. E. A. Hewett, the new Superintendent of the
He
should make him a useful addition to the Committee.
The VICE-CHAIRMAN seconded. Carried unanimously.
RESIGNATION OF MEMBER.
In consequence of his taking up the hong membership of Messrs. Turner & Co., Mr. R. C. Wilcox tendered resignation of his personal membership of the Chamber from the 31st December inst.
THE CHINESE TARIFF.
The SECRETARY reported that, in accordance with the decision come to at the last meeting. a letter was addressed, on the Sth November, to the Shanghai Branch of the China Association,
acknowledging receipt of their letter and
enclosures, with the thanks of the Committee therefor, and expressing cordial approval thereof. A copy of the memorandum prepared by this Chamber for the Special Commissioner was also enclosed.
Read further letters from the Association
dated 8th November, since received, enclosing ramainder of the new Classification of the Tariff. the latter stating that a telegram was, on the 16th idem, despatched to Peking by the Com- missioner of Customs at Shanghai strongly arging that this Tariff (prepared by the Shanghai firms) be adopted at once, in order to put an end to the present state of chaos existing with regard to the collection of the new duties. The VICE-CHAIRMAN said he understood that the Tariff as prepared by the Shanghai experts had been approved at Peking, and had been, or was to be, adopted.
Mr. POATE believed it had been adopted át the coast ports.
Some conversation ensued, but it was not known whether any information on the subject had been received in Canton.
Mr. TOMKINS said up to last week duty was accepted on the values set forth in the Statis- tical Secretary's list of 1897, as per Customs Notification dated Canton, 14th November.
The CHAIRMAN said it was a feather in the cap
of the Shanghai experts if their classifica. tion had been so promptly accepted. This Chamber would have to congratulate the Association on their well deserved success in the matter.
Decided to write in reply to the Association's letters in that sense.
Read letter from the Canton Chamber of Commerce, acknowledging receipt of a copy of this Chamber's Memorandum on the Tariff and Trade Questions, in which it fully concurred, but while thanking the Chamber for the be invitation to send a representative to present at the forthcoming interview with Sir James Lyle Mackay, was content to endorse the Hongkong Memorandum, which appeared to it to embrace all that could well be said on the questions raised.
The SECRETARY stated that on the 21st November, after the meeting of the Committee with Sir James Mackay at the Chairman's 1esidence at tiffin, he had a further lengthy
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duty in favour of junks to the detriment of foreign stemers.
Mr. Arnoll added that so far there was no indication of the Native Customs at Cantou coming under the control of the Maritime Customs.
The CHAIRMAN said this was an important
communication. and mast be dealt with promptly
He thought that the Chamber should send copies of it both to the British Minister and Sir James Mackay.
Mr. POATE said he could corroborate what wss stated by the Steamboat Co.'s agent at Macao. Not only at Canton, but all along the West River the same thing was threatened and would undoubtedly be carried into effect. He suggested that a copy of Mr. Arnold's
letter be sent to Sir Ernest Satow, and also a t-legram on the subject.
The CHAIRMAN said Sir Ernest Satow was still on his travels, and would have to visit several ports yet before he returned to Peing But they might write at one: and telegraph when thy hard of his arrival at Peking,
A desultory conversation on the question of the Hoppo retaining his post and continning his competition with the Maritime Customs ensued.
Eventually it was decided to write strongly to the British Minster on the question. and also to address Sir James Mackay and give him full particulars on the subject.
THE MERCHANT SHIPPING AMENDMENT
ORDINANCE.
A letter from th Supt of the P. & O.S.S.N. Co. on half of the shipping agencies and firms having been received on the 18th Novem- to the ber, euclosing petition addressed Secretary of State for the Colonies on the sub- ject of the recent rejection by the Legislative Council of the Chamber's amendment to para graph 16 of the Quarantine Regulations in the above Bill, and asking that it should be for-
warded to the Government for transmission to Downing Street, this was done on the 19th idem with a covering letter endorsing the terms of the petition and expressing the hope that H. E. the Governor would see his way to recommend adoption of alteration desired.
The SECRETARY sta ed that, so far, no reply had b.en received to this communication.
THE FORTHCOMING EXHIBITION AT CORK.
A letter in reply to the Government's letter referring to the proposal that the Colonies should participate in the proposed Exhibition at Cork in May, 192, was sent in on the 8th November in the terms decided upon at the last meeting.
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[December 16, 1901,
It was resolved to write in reply that the Committee, in making their first recommenda- tion, imagined that the Cork Exhibition was to be on the lines of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition. Under the circumstances, howev. r. while according the enterprise their fullest sympathy and heartily wishing it success, they did not see how the Colony conld actively participate in it.
THE PRIVATE CHAIR AND RICKSHA COMMISSION.
The Report of the Commission appointed to enquire and report on the question of the existing difficulty of procuring and retaining reliable chair and jinricksha coolies for private chairs and jinrickshas was laid on the table.
This was all the business before the meeting. MEMORANDUM ON THE TARIFF AND TRADE
QUESTIONS.
The following memorandum has also bet u seat to ns for publication:
In connection with the commercial negotia- tions about to be opened between His Majesty's Government and China nuder the Protocol recently signed it is hoped that the numerous trade rights and facilities (many of which were really conceded by former Treaties but in different ways either nullified or evaded) so long agitated for by foreign merchants in China will at length be placed on sure grounds and beyond farther question. Situated as this Colony is, being a free port, and therefore not dealing direct with the Chines Customs, a large number of important questions affecting foreign trade with China do not immediately come under the cognisance of merchants here, although indirectly such questions are even- tually closely bound up with their business. Of these the following may be named:-
Imports.-Bonded Warehouses (extension of Introduction ¡ f Regulations to permit of Re-packing of Foreign Imports. Importation of Foreign Salt. Registration of
system).
Trade Marks.
---
Exports. Reduction in duties on certain articles, where the present Tariff forms an unduly high percentage on the value of the Goods. Coast Trade duties. The application of the Chinkiang Ru'es. The abolition of re- strictions on transport of Rice and Grain.
General-Taxation on goods manufactured by foreigners in China. Encouragement of Industrial Euterprises. Internal Residence for Trading purposes. A National Currency. Higher Chiness Court for settlement of Commercial cases, where foreigners may
sne
Chinese. The erection of a Chinese Court for hearing Admiralty cases, where for- eigners may sua Chinese. The question of ability of native shareholders in foreign joint stock companies. Improvement of River approaches to and the Harbours of Treaty Ports and the creation of Consǝr- Additional Light- vaney and Harbour Boards. ing along the Coast and the navigable River channels, and buoying of the latter. Improve- ment in the working of the Chinese Inland Telegraph System. Improvement in Chinese Inland Postal Facilities.
These questions will, we feel assured, be fully dealt with by the various commercial bodies at the Chinese Treaty Ports, who by reason of their daily experience are better able to poin out the various requirements.
This Chamber has been in communication with the Shanghai Chamber on the subject of the Tariff, and is in complete accord with it on general principles.
With regard to the questions more intimately concerning trade here, we give priority to the following:-
The Conversion of the Ad Valorem into Specific Duties. The greatest importance is attached to this conversion being carried through with the least possible delay. Referring to this point. we venture to express the strong hope that if the framing of the permanent specific tariff is likely to be a work of time, steps will be taken Read further letter from the Colonial Secreto bring into effect a temporary specific tariff. The Transit Pass System. Further facilities tary, dated 30th November, in which he requested the Chamber to inform the Governor for forwarding Foreign Imports into the more definitely how it proposes the Colony interior under this system are greatly neeled should participate in this Exhibition, which in the Southern provinces of China, where the enterprise is described as being undertaken system has, owing to the obstruction of officials for the purpose of stimulating the growth and and the levy of various duties, practically been a improvement of manufacturing and other in- dead letter ever since the Treaty of Tientsin
was signed, dustries in Ireland."
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