70
few words, every little school-board district in Japan has a committee of local notables whoss business it is to choose the school-books required in the schools un er their control out of a number that
been published by bave different Tokyo firms and approved of by the Minister of Education.
Owing to the great diffusion of education in Japan there is money in this business, for about four million yen is spent on text-books every year: and certain Tokyo publishers seem hence to have considered it worth their while to corrupt these committees wholesale with the object of ecu se of getting their own books chosen. This system of bribery had been in full operation for a time before it was discovered, and the first inkling of what was going on was brought to the knowledge of the Pablic Procurators by rather an odd accident. It seems that a rather influential canvasser for an important frm of school-book publishers was robbed of his travelling-bg by a thief, who extracted all the cash in the bag and then threw it Bway Somebody picked it up afterwards and handed it to the police, who were led by some entries in a note loɔk contained in the bag to the discovery of the present wide-spread system of corruption, which seems to enclose in its net four Governers of Provin- ces, several ex-Governors, a gentleman who was recently a Director of the Seiyu-kai, Maquia Ito's party, and a vast number of men of light and leading in the educational world. As the arrests are still taking place daily, there is no knowing how the affair will end."
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
NANGKIN.
Nangkin, 12th January.
THE COMING OPENING,
Among the treaty ports scheduled to be opened next year is this capital city of Anhwei provide. indications of the changes that may then be There are already apparent a few expected in this vicinity. About a mile of the river bank below the pagoda and the eastern suburb of the city has been bought up by a few wealthy mandarins, who hope to dispose of it at a handsome profit to the foreigners when the fort is opened. They have mapped out a broad boulevard, just along the river bank and xtending the whole length of the tract, and have plauted trees along it to enhauce its value. The result of the latter venture, however, has disappeared in a very short time-probably in been rather discouraging, as most of the trees smok + from the neighbouring hovels. But the broad stretch of land and the boulevard still await the arrival of the foreigner.
f
THE KA FENG-NANGKIN RAILROAD
is another topic of iute es in Mandarin circles here. Mention of it has been already made in your columns. It is being planned by a syndicate of wealthy natives of this province, bat does not seem as yet to have assumed any definite shape. As it would pass through a very productive and extensive region, with no navigable waterways, it should afford an excellent inv.stmeut.
A COUPLE OF STEAM LAUNC (ES,
owned, it is said, by a wealthy native, have for several mouths been plying regularly between Nangkin and Tatung, and are doing a thriving business. When they were first started, the sto y go-s. they were first upon by the native host-hongsat Tatnog, whose trade they diverted. Next trip they flew the American flag and have
since mot with no further trouble. Certain it is that they fly the Stars and Stripes, bat whether lawfully or unlawfully your correspoud-
ONE OR TWO MINING SYNDICATES
Taking the latest scandal is a text the Asahi, one of the leading papers in Tokyo, traces the corrupt practices of all kinds that have become so common in Japan to the adoption by the Japanese of the material sids of Western civili- sation without what it calls the counteracting spiritual side, and to the understanding of the old Ja anoce code of morals. The people are now possessed, accordin: to the Asahi, by a veritable Dania for riches, a mania which they are preparedent does not know, to gratify by any and every mean, This low ambition has affected the very core of tho nation, and the accumulated corruption has now barst forth in the shape of scandals f sorts, such as those about the state forests, those about the school-books, and others too numerous to mention. The A ali-which is the most thoughtful of a'l the metropolitan dailies-emphatically declares that, unless this tide of corruption is checked, Japan will, in spite of her recent extraordinary growth, find herself collapse some day all of a sudden, as a big tree with a rotten core is liable to go down before the first strong storm.
The Asahi's view of the question is similar to that taken by all the leading Japanese In a signed article published a few days ago by the Jiji, Baron Iwasaki also points out that during her marvellous progress of the last thirty years Japan has been too much absorbed in adopting the material side of Western civilisation to pay any attention to the spiritual side or even to keep up her indigenous code of morals, which has conse- quently been thrown aside. Taking into account the extent of her resources, she has, in this eminent finaucier's opinion, virtually reached the utmost limit of her material progress; but this progress must be regarded as resting on an extremely precarious foundation. It may even be compared to a house built on sand. while the progress of Western civilisation may be compared to house built on bed-rock. Every faithful subject of Japan must be filled with grave apprehensions about the future of his country and should endeavour to strengthen, to the best of his ability, the basis on which the country's prosperity is based. It is the decay of the old social order and code of morals and the absence of any substitute that is the greatest danger to Japan now and in the future.
Viceroy Chang Chih-tung, according to a Peking telegram of the 2nd inst., has advised the Government that he has directed the Gover- nor of Fohkien to make investigation as to the amount of capital of the Japanese and German syndicates which are seeking to obtain conces- sions for the construction of a railway between Wuchang and Foochow. He has also told the Governor to ascertain what bearing the railway is likely to have on the opening of various mines.
under English direction have obtained impor. coal, copper, and otter mineral deposits that tant concessions with a view to developing the
are thought to abound in this part of the province. Mining has been already com. mental stages. menced near Tatung, but is still in the experi- With t no Chinese caution, deposits in the interior has been granted on the the right to build a railroad to some mineral |
express condition that no passengers or freight traffic shall be undertaken. crude native mining seems to have been pretty Meantime the generally stopped by the officials, but for what reason, opinious differ. Certainly the coal obtainable in tue city this winter is as execrable
as it is scarce.
camo
OUR PRESENT GOVERNOR, NIEH,
who goes to Hangchow in the spring, has been quite energetic during his year's stay here. Thousands of soldiers were employed during the summer months in excavating a deep canal six miles long just to the west of the city, which will facilitate the native junk traffic no little. The Provincial Mint, quiescent for many years, has been refitted and is flooding the province issued they bora the legend, one with handsome ten-cash pieces. When first sea. This soon changed to one ceut, and finally be
88 completely anglicised ten They are thus far freely circulated at par. cash,
One of the Governor's improvements, very recently undertaken, has been the digging of a score or more of large public walls, at intervals throughout the city, and the cleansing and repair of the public sewers, which were in a wretched condition of neglect. Singularly enough, this was one of the few cities in Mid- cholera epidemic of last summer. China that almost, if not quite, escaped the With the opening of the port, Nangkin seems likely to gain considerably as a mission
centre.
At present the Roman Catholics, China Inland, and American Church Missions American Methodists and Christian Missions divide the field; but rumour says that the intend soon to open work here.-N.-C. Daily
News.
The Bangkok Races began on the 6th instant. On the 2nd the Royal garden party at the Saranrom Gardens, in honour of the birthdays of the Queen and Crown Prince, was held.
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(Janúary 26, 1903,
MANCHURIA.
20th December.
I daresay you would like to hear how we are getting along west of the now famous Lino. Well, we have got back to our normal condition sale; and occasional carts stopped and rified, but pretty well, a little brigaudage but not whole- not every cart, so the arteries are becoming filled with corpusclés of all colours, and in a day be seen. on the main road several hundreds of carts may
A curious example of the complicity of officialdom with briganddom was revealed a for days ago at the newly erected haien, known formerly as Hsiaoheishan now as Chenanhsien; a well to-do and, what is of more importance, well-connected gentleman travelling north was stopped within four miles of there. The gentle- man, relying on the goodness of his connection, raised a row. The military magistrate said: Oh! it is a small matter among friends," and presented him with two fine mules to replass those lost to the non-official robbers. Most of
this magistrate's assistants and soldiers were formerly in the Profession of the Road."
Much is now said about lekin and its stoppage, but what would happen to the trade of the coun- try if there were no lekin stations? Why, it would run riot, and railways would flourish; people could wear decent o othes; lines would be opened up; the foreign indemnity would be paid; and China would become a rich country! All this and much more calamitous things would happen if those Saviours of their Country, the lekin collectors, did not exist, "Long live the lekin collectors," say the lekin collectors. Take a case in point. Koupangtzu is the station on the Chinese Imperial Railway nearest Knauguing, which district is, or should be, supplied therefrom. It was so supplied during the Russian occupation. There was an attempt made then, and lekin was collected for a few days on even British goods, but our vigilant Consul, Mr. Hosie, had a word to say and the lekin passed away and “left, not a rack behind.” Now there are three lekin stations furishing. in that one spot, and another gentleman without much means but with a general desire to improve the shining hour is endeavouring to serve his country by inventing some good reason for another (and yet Chinese are supposed to be deficient in patriotism). The result is that the country is safe from goo's being poured in by that line, and the railway is saved from too large dividends, and when one railway is so, others needed cannot be made.
How then-what happens ?-oh, no, not so bad as that! The winter is cold, and some clothing must be worn, but we pretty well let foreign cloth alone, and wear home manufactures, but we are clever people, and we have found " there are no ways like the old ways" even though they are long, and winding, and rutty; so we use them. We are independent of railways now (as the railway returns may show), but our carts and sturdy coolies traverse the way between Kuangning and the distant port, and we leare the railway and lekin people high and dry, for the lekin is sometimes fourfold and always double the charges for road cartage. At a stroke we thus save all railway charges and half tekin. What need then is there for railwaya ? “All hail the worthy execationers (by strang- ulation) of trade! All bail! the lekin collectors.” For men may come; and meo may go, But we go on for evər.”
-N.-G. Daily News,
46
CHEFOO.
The Chefoo Express says:—
The merchants of Chefoo; both foreign and native, are to be congratulated upon the outlook of trade for the coming year. During the past year a steady increase has taken place in all branches of business, resulting in greater developments in trade than can be found in any Tariff upon imports into the Russian port of year previous. The imposing of a Custom's Vladivostock has tended to check trade in that direction, but it is to be hoped that this is only temporary, as there is every probability of the port being declared open to free trade in the near future. The native new treaty ports have increased their trade considerably, resulting in large consignments of goods being shipped to
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