January 17, 1903.]
→ DISTURBANCES IN WEST
CHEKIANG.
Father news relating to the rising of the Tichu Chiso society of Tenchoufu, W. Chêkiung, against the R. C. converte, is to hand. It appears that after the repulse given to the secret sciety mes at Fenshai, near Hangchow, by a empany of foreign mode.led troops, the regulars were themselves 8 badly cut up by the mob that they had to retire to an adjoining eify and wait for reinfɑreements which had been sent from Hangchow. In the me nwhile, H.E. Hsu Chên-ka, former Provincial Judge, and now Chief of the Military Secretariat, as w-ll na Chief Commissioner of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs for Chokiang province, had ken energeticallý mobilising all available troops, that is to say, troops that are armed with modern arms of precision, within call of Hangchow city, and having succeeded in collecting neer, 5,000 men, has sent them on to feuchou by various routes so to encircle the insurgents and circumscribe their operations, and haring driven them into a corner, gather up the rascals into a net." Like all such quasi. religions propaganda of ignorant people, the rising which began against the B.C. converts soon afterwards developed into a geseral lun- dering expedition where, r gardless of sect, all who had money and possessions were equally doomed fish for the net. The inhabitants of Yenchonfa prefecture and districts of ad- joining prefectures have been indiscriminate ly pliaged; their houses as well as the obarches, chapels, and houses of rouverts being ruthlessly burnt. Eye-witnesses report that at the beginning of the insurres in the flames of baruing buildings could be seu for miles around. while the roads leading t⚫ Haugcbow and cities away from the scenes of distrbances were dotted with thousands of meu, women, and children of he better classes fleeing for refuge. Fo:- tunately, the Chekiang Military Secretariat is directed by the capable and energetic hands of H.E. Han Chên-kan, and he was able to mobilise in a shor. time a respectable force to prevent the further spread of the insurrection, although the insurgents must r quite 20,00) adults, variously armed. When one comes to consider the difficulties the Chief of the Military Secretariat had to contend with in such a oisis when the Acting Governor of the provinca is a Manchu and the other high authorities lagard and apathetic (probably owing to orders from sympathisers in the North) the action of the first named official is to be highly commended. At any rate, with the mobilisation and sending of a proper force of well-armed tro ps to Youchoufu we may expect to hear soon of H.E. Hsü Chêu-kan's succ>88 in suppressing an insurrection which at one time seemed quite serious. Finally, letters from Hangobow and other Chêkiang cities report that anti-religious placards have been posted freely about calling) on the masses to rise and assist the insurgents, but so long as the authorities stand firm like H.E. Hsü there need be to fear expected from this Bourda. -N.-C. Daily News.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
The fact is that Taug has bought up an immense store of grain and fodder, so that the price has goue up to nearly double; grain by fact is that the missionaries are forbidden by camel is nearly 200 miles distant. Another
the fiʊipls to go toward the neighbourhood of Kunen, or to go out into the streets in the evening. This is something new in the quiet province of Kausu. Trouble seems to be not far off.-N.-C. Daily News.
and that to Tuotai at Kansu, has received í valna of the "tical orders from Court to disband his troops. Four | store will in all: probabilit thousand were disbanded in one day, and increasing its value. Th everyone joined Tuag. t is also said that; indubitably well within the Tung, Fu-hsing, Prince Tran, Pingbang of the Government to introduce, Totai, and Yang Lu at Peking are working | about claims against the ɩ overnment for cum- together.
pensation were so many wild with whirling words; uttered on the spur of the excitement caused by the vast economic change that the Government had so successfully, angineered having at once met in such a liberal and states- The Governmect is to be congratulated on maalike manner the representations of the Banks, and we firmly believe that all classes of the community can look forward with confident. hope to a greatly improved condition of things now that Blam is no longer to be affected by the curious antios of our old friend the silver dollar. The Banks are doing business both ways on the new Government rate of exchange, and the Government scheme may be said to have been fairly launched add to have weathered the breakers through which it necessarily had to pass at the outset. Its prosperous and un- chequered further career will be wished by all friends of Siam.
CLOSING THE SIAM MINTS.
It was never anticipated by those who bad studied the question that the mere fact of the closing of the Mint by the Government and the i-sue of an advertisment that the Govern ment w re prepared to pay 17 ticals for one pound sterling would have the effect of at once fixing the value of the tical at 17 to the pound. it was thought that the action of the Govern- ment iu thus divorcing the tios from the dollar would probably effectually pre- vent the tical from following the dollar in its downward course, but that its vaine would, while remaining fairly stationary at first. when trade increased and money became tight in Bangkok, gradually ris.
But an entirely unexpected feature presented i slf. The Banks, under the impression that the laws of Siam, like those of the Meds and Persians, were unchangeable, and oblivions of the fact that the Decres which made the tical interchangeable with the doʻlar at the rate of 5 ticals for 3 dollars and with the rupee st 5 ticals for 7 rupees (how strange it sounds now !) might at any moment be repealed by the Power which made it, sent, in the course of their exchange business, a large amount of their Bangkok funds out of Siam, to Singapore and elsewhere, without complete cover by the sale of bills or by the importation of dollars.
That such action must under the circum
|
stances be considered as partially speculative cannot be questione1, but there the fact was, and when the Government closed the Mints the Baoks looked with dismay upon the prospee before them of having to bring back to Siam a vast quantity of gold, in order to purchase enough ticals to liquidate the balance of their outstanding tical liabi∙ities in Siam, with a tical the value of wh ch was considerably greater than the silver that it contained.
|
|
The Government selling price of the tfoal is to-day (Dec. 23) 194 ticals por pound sterling.
Singapore Free Press.
THE PHILIPPINES TARIFF AND CURRENCY.
;
A. Washington telegram dated December 1, says:—Luke Wright, Vios-Governor of the Philippines, appeared before the Senate Com mittes on Philippines to-day and urged the passage of the bill reducing the duty on Philippine goods coming to this country to 25 per cent, of the Dingley rates. He also thought Chinese labourers should be allowed to come to the islands. Governor Wright also supported the bill for reform in the Philippine currency. Wright said that in his opinion the tariff of 75 per cent, which now obtains on all products ship- ped from the Philippines to the United States really amounts to s prohibition. He pleaded for larger and more liberal trade relations with the islands, and said that the ships bringing sugar and tobacco to this country should take back_American products. Senators Burrows and Diedrich challenged his statement that the existing tariff of 75 per cent, is prohibitive, and said that the imports of sugar sinos 1900 had increased steadily. Wright replied that the amount was a mere bagatelle compared with the production: “ As a mere matter of sentiment," he said. "I think there is hardly anything Congress could do that would have such a fine effect upon With this knowledge in their possession and the Filipino as to establish_more intimate trade with the further knowledge that ficals would relations." It would, he said, remove the impres- only be purchased from the Government in sioa which exists among them that the future at the rate of 17 ticals to the pound Americans are there to exploit the islands.
not to give them sterling, it became impossible for the Banks and
the benefit to sell their remaining ticals at anything less
of American ́ markets. The possibilities of thau 7 to the pound. This would have meant sugar production in the Philippines, he said, a sudden jump in the value of the tical from would be unlimited were the importation of about 11jd to 1/2, which would not only Chinese labour permitted. Replying to a ques- have resulted in a serious dislocation in trade, tion if it would not be better for the United but would also have compelled the Banks States to produce its own sugar and obviate the tendav nr to sell their sterling drafts at neo ssity for shipping it across the Pacific, THE. SITUATION IN KANSU.
a rate of exchange out of all proportion to the Wright said that as a Philippine Commissioner rate at which they were purchasing bills locally. be was bound to advance the interests of the Wri ing under da'e 13th December from In order to meet this entirely unlooked for Filipino people. He next discussed the question Kui-tee-kuan, Honau, Mr. C. J Anderson, of situation, to prevent any violent a'teration in of 'hilippine currency and urged authority for the China Island Mission, sends further exchange, and also to save the Banks from the the Commission to issue temporary, certificates particulars in regard to the situation in Kansu. inconsequences of their action-legitimat bank of indebtedness, which shall be redeemable in He quotes a letter to hand from the province in ing business as it was-in having remitted from gold coin and which could be exchanged for the question as follows: ffairs in Kanru are very
Sim so much of their tical assets, the Gorera-peso. He was not, he said, in favour of unlimited srious. Tang Fu hsiang is 90 li north of
mout issued a Nolitostion t the effect that coinage. The ultimate purpose of Congreba, Kansu in a walled town A mau, who was sent they would for the time being sell ticals at the he thought, is undoubtedly to give to the to enquire about the rumours, spent two days in rate of 20 to the pound sterling. This was a Philippines the same currency is our own, but Tung's stronghold; he reports he valley is full rate only slightly higher than the value of the he said, it would be unfortunate to do that at of troops, tents, etc., and that there wer20 tical at the time that the Mints were closed, and | once. · ying of troops around him. The nam s of should the dollar rise, it seems quite possible A despatch dated Washington, December 11, many men, now at their h⋅ mes, are enrolled, so
that the Government rate for selling ticals mayays:-The Senate Committee on Philippines that they many flock to Tung's at udard at his shortly have to be rised to keep it above the discussed with Vice-Governor Wrigh call bo sold.ers want to fight, and their value of the silver that the minted coin contains. monetary situation in the archipelago. general talk is, “In Shensi and Kansu there is
That the Government is perfectly able to generally agreed that there would be dif not to le left one foreign devil.” All travellers increase thus the value of the tical to say" in changing the currency in the fela are searched and letters for missionaries have reasonable value that they may choose to give consensus of opinion expressed was bean opened. A. par.el of letters has just to it is disputed by nope, and it seems certain unit of value in the Philippines should arry d through the yamên and every o e was
that, to far as human knowledge can prediot, peso of twelve and nine-tenths grains torn open, por could any answer Le obtained to Siam is free for ever from the harassing which is one-half the value of the Uni enquiries. "A reliable source states that "there vagaries of a fluctuating exchange and from gold dollar, and the peso in sil wil be trouble before long." It is said that the losses to the country incidental to a made legs, tender of equal value. Tung has a great store of ammunition supplie," depreciating tical. Such alteration in the Another feature upon which Gow
A
|
t
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.