November 15, 1905.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. affair will inevitably have political results. We in no way wish to whitewash the turbulent savages who have been guilty of such heinous murders; but it will be but fair to both sides to make sure what truth there is in these stories of provocation. I The other point, which we regard as most important, is a matter for the various missionary societies, or their respective Governments, Will they take into con- sideration the advisability of forbidding the importation of women and children by inland missionaries? We think they ought
represent but a small fraction, must renew in many minds the doubt, often previously expressed, of the propriety of permitting women and children to accompany the male pioneers of the gospel. The dreadful risks to which these defenceless members of the missionary corps are exposed was painfully exemplified in 1900; and we believe we are not alone in thinking it wou'd be better, for many reasons, to restrict missionary work and its perils to males. The Chinese idea of woman's status is not in anything like accordance with the foreign idea; an there must be men missionaries of experi- | to. ence who have been enabled to realise the many misconceptions which occur among the Chinese where women inissionaries are concerned. It would not detract at all from their Christian unselfishness were these to set their faces against the intrusion of women into what is emphatically a sphere for men, and to encourage their uncomprehending brethren to a recognition of their full responsibility in countenancing the admis. sion of women.
Of course it can be urged that there is work which women can better do; but in view of the dreadful price that has sometimes to be paid, and the liability they will incur of being accused of a selfish disinclination to the fuller martyr dom of celibacy, we trust the men missionaries will not press this point too far. If they succeed in their good work with the men of China, the lot of the women of China would be directly ameliorated as desired, without the intervention of women missionaries.
Returning to the matter of the Linchow affair, all accounts agree in attributing its origin to the action of Dr. MACHLE; and as this gentlemen bas happily escaped the fale of his companions, there can be no sentimental objection to instituting an enquiry as to his share of responsibility for what happened. Article VIII. of the Tientsin Treaty
of 1858 says: "The Christian religion, as professed by Protes tants or Roman Catholics, inculcates the practice of virtue, and teaches man to do as he would be done by. Persons teaching it or professing it, therefore, shall alike be entitled to the protection of the Chinese authorities, nor shall any such, peaceably pursuing their calling and not offending against the laws, be persecuted or interfered with." To protest against the disturbance of hospital patients by the noises of the Joss procession was reasonable, provided it were properly done, and the request politely made to the responsible parties. If it be
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HONGKONG FINANCES.
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(Daily Press 7th November.) The Government Treasurer of Hongkong, Mr. A. M. THOMSON, has published an account of the revenue and expenditure covering the period from the beginning of the year to August 31, and, in addition, the usual interesting comparative statement. From the latter we perceive that the estimated revenue from light dues, $75,000 for the year, is being well approached, the actual receipts amounting to $50,443.17, an increase of $1,313.36 over the am unt taken in the correspon ling period of the previous year. This progress is only to bt expected in the case of a port which has climbed so rapilly yet steadily to the exalted position of first in shipping magnitude. There was a large increase also (8234,686.28) in the collection of licence fees and internal revenue not otherwise specified, the estimate for the twelve months being $4,820,260, and the revenue for eight being only a million and a half short of that. The item entered as "fees of Court or Office, Pay- ments for specific purposes, and Re-imburse. ments in Aid also shows an increase, of $18,118.70. The revenue from the Post Office was estimated at $405,000 for the whole year. It yielded the first two- thirds of the year the sum of $280,935, or $7,495.20 more than in the corresponding portion of 1904. The expenditure from January to August iuclusive under this bead was $434,626.41, or $237,775.51. Without counting the $8,600 set down elsewhere as special expenditure, a big proportion of this large increase must be regarded as of a special nature; and for the rest, it only remains to be said that the Colony does not yet get full value for its money. There is room for vast improve ment in the management; the instances of failure might appear petty in detail, but their number continues so great as to make us wonder where the fault lies. Model administration of a public institution such ав this demands much closer attention to details than appears to be possible locally. If the place is understaffed, the deficiency ought to be remedied at once, irrespective of estimates and rising expenditure. Let us have a trustworthy post-office, ruat cælum, for it is the business hub of a commercial | city, as important as the banks. The decrease in the rent of Government pro- perty, land and houses, has been noted before. These figures put the receipts at 8395,652.24, or $35.681.28 less than in 1904. The increment from interest in the eight months was $2,621 45. due, we presume, to bigger bilances rather than to any advance in the money rate. The Water Account shows an increas.. The estimate was $70,000 for the year; the revenue for the eight months was $48,986.52, and the increase $10,764.55. Land sales dropped off considerably, $247,780.26 coming no- where within two-thirds of the estimate, being, indeed, less than half. The revenue
true that Dr. MACHLE laid hauds on sacred image carried by the procession, we fear we must place a large measure of a serious responsibility on his shoulders. To behave disrespectfully or sacrilegiously to a Joss appears to be such an unthought of thing in the case of Chinese that so far as we can ascertain there is no legal injunction extant, nor any legal penalty provided. Therefore, it may be that this zealous missionary has not "offended against the laws"; although he cannot be said (still assuming the correctness of the received reports) to have been "peaceably pursuing his calling." The missionary who wants to teach the heathen the wickedness and folly of idol-worship probably thinks he makes a fine point by maltreating the idol; but he is not doing
as he would be done by." For we read that "the people of Linchow are very superstitious, and " (quid rides?) "believe in their gods." Some of them ¦ might conceivably think it necessary to profane the American place of worship, or to handle disrespectfully some of its sancti- fied furniture, in which case the missionary' point of view would be differeut. This
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was $48,880.53 less than in the correspond. ing period of the previous year. On the expenditure side, the decrease ($60,499.04) was
most important Recurrent Public Works, by which it set against would appear that these do not always recur. The Public Works Department took $7,293.48 more than before. Ecclesiastical donation is $800 more than in 1904. It has been referred to in Council. and is perhaps too unimportant to argue about, although we feel unable to admit that it is a proper charge upon the revenue of such a cosmopolitan and many-creeded community. The Botanical and Afforesta tion Department spent $5,580.60 less, and if this represents a saving on saw-sharpen- ing and axe-grinding, we may well feel proud. Other decreases are Public Debt charges, 84,098.42, Colonial Secretary's Department, $3,103.10, New Territory Land Court, $12,303.47, and Bacterio- logical Department, $4.364.80. The Sanitary Department took $4,658.20 more; and the expenditure on military, volunteers, and the contribution to Imperial Government was increased by $77,886.60.
GERMANY IN CHINA.
(Daily Press 8th November.) As Russia and Japan are now evacuating Manchuria, and neither is likely, for some time to come, to seek occasion for new quarrels, the German Government has re- solved to withdraw the superfluous portion of the garrison at Tsintao. In connection with this, and finding that the Chinese Government was prepared to efficiently guard the line of railway from Taintao to Chinan, the German Government has also arranged to withdraw its guards along the line now no further needed. The whole of this arrangement is doubtless satisfactory to China, who has of late shown a real desire to respect her international engage- ments. It also seems to be equally credit. able to Germany, who has shown a willing- ness, now that the political aspect seems fair, not to throw an apple of discord into a situation which, for the first time for eight years, seems to be clear of danger. So far so good; everybody is pleased, and it might naturally have been expected that, having removed this last subject of complaint, BARON VON MUMM Would have been permitted to avail himself of the well-earned leave of absence which was to be the reward. Such has not been the case, for with some strange perversity another subject, with which the first has very little in common, has been imported into the discussion, and the Ger- min MINISTER is ordered to stop a little longer to square up yet another tender subject. It does not yet appear whether the perverted ingenuity, which would revive a very unpleasant discussion at an in- convenient time, comes from Germany or China, but in any case it seems to come at a somewhat unfortunate period, before the new situation brought about by the cessa- tion of the Russo-Japanese war has had time to declare itself.
It is doubtless true that China has been looking on with more or less resentful feelings to the continued occupation of the foreign Legations in Peking by foreign troops. The right to guard the Legations was imposed on China in consequence of her treacherous conduct in attempting to seize the Legations and their occupants; & crime, as China well kuew; at variance with immemorial international practice, and which she has herself, at all periods of her history, considered deserving of condign punishment when she was the complaining party. It is quite true that China has
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