276
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[October 21, 1905.
garian constitution was restored, and in the British and Chinese Corporation the urgent | matters of a like natural making altogether
next year the new rule of the double monarchy was established, under which for upwards of thirty years Austro-Hungary continued to flourish. Under pretence of strengthening the Ausgleich, however, some three years ago, the old system of subordin- ating Hungary to the German province of Austria recommenced; objected to in a mild manner by Hungary. The breach thus unwisely commenced has been wideoing ever since. An arrangement in the interests of both parties was two years ngo quite feasible, but the opportunity was lost, and the EMPEROR, under the influence of unwise councillors, has proceeded to measures more or less unconstitutional. Doubtless most of these were momentarily necessary for keeping te slate together, and had masures ben taken to return at the earliest possible moment to the previous position, they would have been willingly accepted by the Hungarians. This, unfor- tunately was not done; and the mistaken policy of the EMPEROR was persisted in, and all attempts at compromise rudely rejected. Conscious that they form the most powerful, and until the events of the last few years, the most loyal element in the dual Empire, the Hungarians are now as eager for a separation rom their incon genial partners as have been the Norweg- ians, and, it must be allowed with far greater reason on their side.
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a very satisfactory body of evidence that the Association is a really useful and necessary organization in our midst and deserving the warmest recognition as such by the entire British community.
The
Matters took a importance of the line. satisfactory turn in May last year when the Hon. Mr. GERSHON STEWART, after paying a visit to the North of China, wrote a letter of considerable length to Mr. R. C. WILCOX,
We cannot, however, omit to take who was then the Chairman of the Hong- kong Committee of the China Association, notice of the letters in the Appendix been felt by relating what he had seen and heard of rail- | indicating that it has way construction in the North, and, apply. | merchants in China that the London ing the moral, suggested that if the British Committee of the China Association has and Chinese Corporation were unable to in the past been apathetic and has not done use effectively the concession they held for as much as it might have done to vigorously the construction of a line from Kowloon to urge upon the attention of the Home Cinton, the Colony would be well advised Government the views of British merchants to endeavour to have the concession handed in China upon questions which from time to over to itself. Presuming that a clean time arise. It bas seriously been proposed in concession be acquired the annual cost to Shanghai that the China Association should the Colony of a guarantee of any 4 per cent. amalgamate with or allow itself to be would," Mr. STEWART urged, "be a justi- absorbed by an association called the fiable risk, if merely as an insurance against China League. If such an association a port being opened which might do Hong- exists we have, in common with the Hong- kong irreparable mischief." Mr. STEWART kong Committee of the China Association, to suggested to the Committee that in the confess our ignorance of any of its achieve- event of their agreeing with these views ments. The China Association, on the other they should form themselves into a deputa. hand, has long been established and, having tion and wait upon HIS EXCELLENCY THE the ear of the Foreign Office, it has done OFFICER ADMINISTERING THE GOVERNMENT through its London Committee some very with recommendations along the lines above useful work of which the annual reports indicated, which are fully set forth in the have afforded satisfactory proof. letter. This suggestion was at once adopted, nature of the work of the Association does and for the first time we have " published not admit of constant advertisement, "and by pern.ission "the report of the interview on this account, perhaps, the Association which then took place; Mr. R. C. WILCOX, does not enjoy as much public recognition as Chairman, being the spokesman and of its value as it is fairly entitled to receive. reading a lengthy address which sets out But we should hardly have credited the ignorance of the with great strength and clearness the case for Loudon Times with prompt action along the lines which the Hon. existence of such a body, and we were Mr. GERSHOM STEWART had suggested. In consequently surprised to read recently in the Hon. Mr. F. H. MAY, C.M.G., the Officer the leading London journal the following then administering the Government, the comment :-"What is urgently needed, deputation found, as they anticipated, a amongst other things, is a strong and sympathetic listener and a warm advocate united organization in this country of the early construction of the line, if (England) which, instead of being sub- necessary with the guarantee of the Govern- servient to individual interests or political wire-pulling, shall act as the accredited "and responsible mouthpiece of the great "British communities in the treaty ports of "China." Either the Times is (1) actually ignorant of the existence of the China Association; or (2) does not regard it as a strong and united organization; or (3) considers it n body "subservient to in- interests or political wire dividual
The last suggestion we may pulling.' altogether dismiss, and it only remains to be said that if the China Association is not " strong and united association," it rests entirely with the British communitiei in China to make it such, and so strengthen the influence of the London Committee that it will compel more recognition than it apparently does to-day as their accredited and responsible mouthpiece.
Europe is, if possible, still more deeply interested in the result. Any movement which would weaken the consistency of the Dual Empire is welcomed eagerly at the courts of Berlin and St. Petersburg; and the dreadful consequences to the Austrian subjects of FRANCIS JOSEPH which the priority, or even equality of Hungary would imply, are carefully kept in their mind's eye. Unfortunately a comparatively small but mischievous minority of the Austrian subjects of the Austrian Empirement. are not themselves untinged with these dangerous fancies; and would be quite ready to back up any advances of Germany, even at the cost of their own political extinctions, and this it is that renders the present quarrel, carefully fermented by these unpatriotic subjects of the Emperor FRANCIS JOSEPH, 80 prophetic of evil Russia has not yet realised that morally she has ceased to be a factor in the progress of the world, and her rulers, go far from rightly interpreting the signs of the times, are still as eager as ever to interfere with their more peaceful neighbours.
THE HONGKONG BRANCH OF THE CHINA ASSOCIATION.
(Daily Press, 20th October.) A CORRESPONDENT a few weeks ago in. quired in our columns whether the local branch of the China Association was as moribund as its London Committee was
alleged to be. The Report on the work of the local branch during the last eighteen months has just been issued, and this will afford very satisfactory proof that the Association is a vitalising force in our midst, and has done much for the protection and advancement of British interests in a quiet, unostentatious but withal very effective manner. The Annual Report reveals in the first place that it is to the persistence of the Committee of the local branch of the Association that we owe the gratifying progress which has been made towards providing the line of railway which is to connect us with Canton. We had learnt from previous reports of the unavailing efforts made by the Committee to impress upon the Foreign Office and the
The result was that when Sir MATTHEW NATHAN came to take up the reins of Government in the Colony he announced himself in his first public speech as in favour of the early prosecution of this important work. Then after resigning them- selves to "a policy of temporary inaction, wait- ing with what patience they might for some settlement of certain questions unknown," the China Association laid before the GOVERNOR an expression of their opinion on the subject and urged HIS EXCELLENCY to take the earliest opportunity of forward- ing it to the RIGHT HONOURABLE THE SECRETARY Of State for THE COLONIES. The result, as all know now, is that the, Hongkong Government has under- taken to construct that portion of the rail- way which will lie in British Territory; a survey of the route is being made, and H.E. THE GOVERNOR has been given by the Legislative Council the necessary authority to raise a loan for the construction of the line. For this result, as we have shown, the community is largely indebted to the per- sistent advocacy of the China Association. No less than twenty-six pages of the Appendix are devoted to correspondence this important subject, and the well worth reading.
The whole is Committee has besides dealt with such matters as the Reform of the Currency in China; they have been instrumenta- in changing a vexatious order of the Imperial Maritime Customs with regard to steamer permits on the West River; they have dealt with the transit pass question in Yunnan; with the rights of neutral shipping during war; with the Russian occupation of Newchwang: the question of new Treaty Ports in Mauchuria; the employment of capital in railway enterprises in China, and
on
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The following comment on the currency question of China is extracted from a letter sent to the N.-C. Daily News by its correspon- dent at Kasbing, Che:-Within the space of a few months the price of the silver dollar has run from 893 to 980 cash and the prospects are of a further rise. If we remember aright the dollar has not brought as much cash for the past And the causes of this suɗđen ten years. fluctuation are not hard to seek. The old cash pieces contsining, they say, more metal in actual value than the face value calls for, have been melted down in large numbers. And on the other hand the market has been flooded with cheap ten-cash pieces. Whereas only a few years ago there were no small pieces of silver in circulation in the interior, and no ten cent cash pieces, and the silver dollar changed into cash pieces only, now with the advent of both small silver and ten-cash pieces the cash is harder to to get hold of than it was then. Certainly it does not take a prophet or the son of a prophet to foresee that, unless some drastic remedy is applied, there will be a panic in the Chinese
money market before long.
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