October 8, 1904.]
round off her territory East and West Prussia and a slice of Pomerania. These are the things that often make the head of the Hohenzollerns weary and anxions. But sug gests the other, "there's the bargain; you have had the good things, but to obtain them you have sold your soul, and the soul is mine, and mine I intend to keep it, both in this world and the next.” ·
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
ensuing on the Russo-Japanese War, many branches of trade have been adversely affected, that money is tight, and that merchants are shy of indulging in any dubious-looking speculation, preferring safe- ty to precarious profits. At the same time there would be a fair trade passing if more confidence were felt in the stability of the Chinese Government and the main Now, as we said above, these things are tenance of a good rate of exchange. But not to be found written in the records of there is still a good deal of unrest in the any Foreign Office. They are far too sacred interior; the ghost of the Boxer outbreak for that. They are like old world traditions has never yet been satisfactorily laid; and in an ancient Scotch family-handed down the conditions of many of the railway and from father to son, and yet never talked most of the mining concessions have yet to about nor alluded to, and all the while felt be satisfactorily settled. The Chinese offi- and acted upon by every gilly on the estate.cials have not realised that until the dis- We know what a MACLEAN or a MACGREGOR affected have been pacified or repressed, and will do when called upon in the hour of the banditti that keep many distriots in a need to fight the battles of his country; he condition of terror and uncertainty have does as the tradition of his clan has taught been hunted down and suppressed, the him, and dare not do otherwise. It is a country cannot prosper and its trade cannot tradition of the same sort that drives to
gether, often sadly against their wills, the two houses, however unlike, of HOHENZOLLERN and ROMANOFF, and the caretul political on. looker can often forecast more readily than the actor himself their conduct in any emergency. There is no love, we may be, assured, between the two very different types of manhood represented by a WIL- LIAM II. and a NICOLAS II. respectively; yet a fate and a tradition stronger thau the will of either compels them to act in ways and for purposes which one or other regards with feelings of dislike almost approaching
to nausea.
CHINESE CURRENCY.
<<
(Daily Press, 7th October.) The suggestion offered by the President of the Board of Commerce at Peking for the appointment of directors or superintendents of commercial affairs in the various provinces of the Empire, as delegates of the Board, in order that they may exert themselves on behalf of the native merchants is a good one, no doubt, so far as it goes. But when the President makes it apparent that his action is the result of an idea that the pro- motion of commerce is necessary
to save China from poverty and dismemberment by the greedy foreigu Powers he is rather wandering from the point. The pro- motion of commerce will not necessarily save China from dismemberment by the "greedy foreign Powers"; it might even add to the temptations to a policy of tutelage and an nexation. The President of the Board, however, thinks the Empire is in a parlous state, and that it is due greatly to the gredy foreign Powers." Unlike most of his countrymen, he is of opinion that some. thing should be done to after this condition of affairs, for he says:-
:-"Unless something is soon done for its salvation, it will be too late, because the country will be gradually drained of its silver, not only by the various old and new war indemni- ties and loans, but by its want of trade." He suggests that the delegates he proposes should be instructed to consult the leading merchants as to the establishment of cham- bers of commerce and that young men should be sent abroad to study modern com- mercial methods. The President concludes by the expression of a belief that in course of time and under protection Chinese mer chants will be able to compete fairly with foreign merchants.
"
Now it is very evident that the worthy President of the Board of Commerce has quite misunderstood the position. It is not that trade is so bad or that the Chinese mer- chants are so incompetent. It is true that, owing to the disordered political situation
revive. The Chinese merchants have not
much to 1 aru. They are sufficiently wide. awake to their own interests to take hints from foreign merchants and their metho is, and they are quite capable of holding their own with all and sundry. By all means, however, let the Chinese Government ap- point delegates to study the conditions of trade; they are sure to acquire much useful knowledge; but let them not suppose that such a course will neutralise the evils which a debased currency or want of currency has brought upon the country.
The remedy for the drain upon China's resources which has followed the deprecia- tion of silver is clear and obvious to the meanest intelligence, and uone but those who are her enemies at the gate would attemp to delude her rulers on the subject The losses she has suffered by having to pay her indemnities and repay her loans in gold are patent to all. There is but one method by which she can obtain relief from the present situation, and this has been distinctly pointed out to the Waiwupu by Professor JENKS. It is by the establish. ment of a national currency on a gold standard. The coinage would be silver, but the standard would be gold. Japan has already established her currency on this basis and with entirely satisfactory results. The prophecies of the pessimists have been completely falsified in her case. Her trade
bas increased instead of diminished. There have been no financial troubles, no falling off in exports, no difficulty with regard to imports. It is argued, of course, by the advocates of silver in China that the con- ditions are different, and that what was good for the land of the Rising Sun would not be healthy for the Celestil Empire. The latter must remain a dumping ground for silver, or how can they continue to make enormous profits by exchange ? Moreover, China has no gold, and without gold how can a country have a gold standard? Japan had no gold, but she has managed to maintain her credit and her trade. Oh, but Japan is different, we are told. She has credit and she has resources. This is all mere begging of the question, we take leave to say. It is true China has no gold, but she would require little for the purpose, aud she certainly has resources, even greiter resources than Japan could ever lay claim to, and if the currency were only organised and established under the able direction of Sir ROBERT HART there would be no ques tion about its stability. Difficulties there are undoubtedly, but they are none of them insuperable, nor would they take long to surmouut. No great change in a national system was ever effected without trouble and some amount of opposition; but in this instance it is so palpably to the interest of
201
the Chinese people as well as that of the Government that the opposition would be slight, and the difficulties would quickly melt when the project was ready for launching. We entertain sanguine hopes that, if the Chi- nese Government receives the support and sympathy to which it is entitled from the Treaty Powers, this great and beneficial. change will be easily and satisfactorily accomplished.
LAUNCH TRAFFIC.
(Daily Press, 7th October.) The step taken by His Excellency the GOVERNOR in cancelling the licences of the launches Kong Soo and Lee Ching as a punishment for repeatedly carrying an excess of passengers is not only a substantial act of justice but also a measure of much-needed protection to passengers. These launches trad-d, the first on the West River, and the second between Hongkong and the New Territory, and they had ben several times convicted of carrying a larger number of passengers than allowed by licence and fiued for the offence. But, like most of the Chinese engaged in the carrying trade, they were quite indifferent to fines, which they promptly proceeded to recoup by repeating the offence. The practice is one that mu-t, as far as possible, be suppressed. works unfairly · against ' legitimate trade, and, what is of still greater importance, it endangers the safety of passengers. In dealing with Chinese it has to be remembered that they are absolutely insensible to any idea of risk or wrong-doing A Chinese ship or launch owner will take in p sangers just so long as the vessel will flo t on the water. That is the only limit to their greed, and it is of the utmost importance, therefore, that the law should stop in and prescribe the pum- ber of passengers per ton that can with safety be carried. If the provisions of the ordinance are broken, it is the bounden duty of the law not only to punish the offender but also to see that he does not repeat the offence.
in the matter.
It
A mere fine has, we have seen,
proved no deterrent, and it is necessary therefore to take some action that will not only vindicate the majesty of the law but will serve to warn other shipowners that the regulations imposed by the Government mus be respected and complied with. The Harbour Master recogni el this fact, and recommended the course adopted by the Governor. It is eminently satisfactory to flad that the new Administration is re-ulved to compel that respect for the law with ut which its provisions become a dead letter and the Chinese are encouraged to presume upon leniency. The course taken is the one best calculated to ensure obedience in the future. The Chinese have no respect for those who allow the law to be violated with impunity, and better appreciate a firmness that insists upon obedience.
HONGKONG JOTTINGS.
(3rd October.)
How often have the unofficial members of the
Legislative Council been taxed with timidity, supineness, et ceteræ, and adjured to speak up and prove that they were not ornamental dum support to all official doings and misdoings? mies sitting there to give a semblance of popular Now, when the Hon. R. Showan has fung himself into the breach, like a sarcastic Berserker, and startled them that sit in darkness with a few vivid flashes of popular feeling, we are not satisfied. We are high-toned in Hong- kong, and Mr. Shewan's one should have been Japanesey, like this: Deign to hon urably expressed by desire of an unworthy community. but when the Deforestation Department pat
excuse such a despicable comment, which is
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