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A QUESTION OF CUSTOMS DUES.
At different dates, the following three in teresting letters appeared in the North-China Daily News :-
Bir-On the 30th of April, 19 6, application for re-export was presented to the Customs at Shanghai on some foreign-made goods "daty paid " for Tsingtao. At the same time an in- voice showing nature and value of goods was shown to the Customs.
On this re-export application an officer at the Memo-desk marked "to pay” and passed on the application. By this, it was suppored, that the permit for re-export was allowed, but it would be treated as fresh import at the port of arrival where duty may or may not be levie
However, the goods went forward per Gouverneur Jaeschke and now, the 14th May, a reply has been received from the consignees that they had to pay a deposit of duty of $2.85 on a value of goods costing $39.
Had the Custom House shown any valid reason for collecting this additional import, it could be added to the cost, but certainly the Custom House had not a particle of right to collect this duty from anybody at all, if they acted up to the Treaty.
The Custom House fine heavily if they catch a wrong done by an applicant, but what about this additional duty! Where is the authority for them to collect?
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The officer asked the applicant "Have you got a pass?' Reply, No.
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How could a pass be produced when duty-paid imports have been opened and partly sold focally and partly sold to an outport
Large stores like Hall and Holtz, Lane and Crawford, Whiteaway Laidlaw, and a host of private importers always pay import duty at the time goods are imported, and if a few of these articles are shipped to outports should the Custom House charge another duty on already duty-paid goods P
Will any of your numerous readers throw any light on this question ?
It is intended to collect all the information possible with a view of addressing the bigher authorities to put a stop to this procedure.
It is not only 82.85, which could be made a present to the Customs, but it is the principle and the right to collect which one must contend against.
I am, etc.,
SHIPPER. Sir, I am glad to see that "Shipper "takes up this question, and I hope that many more interested parties will make it worth their while to give attention to it.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
The Customs will not attempt to collect duty again on any goods shipped noder household goods pass, which latter can be obtained free.
I am, etc,
SAMOTH.
EXPERIENCES IN SAN FRANCISCO.
INTERVIEWS ON BOARD THE MOXGOLIN.
"
"Yon hare just come from San Francisco? "Yes," was the laconic rep'y given by one of the officers on the 8.8. Mongolia on May 27 at the opening of the conversation between him and a represon atire of the Daily Press. As is perhaps known, that resel is the first to roach Hongkong from the Californiaa capital since the terrible disaster which befel the city last month.
What was the town like?
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Oh, a barren, burat wreck, only a remuant of what it once was,
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You were there at the time of the earth. quake ?"
Yes, but I didn't take much notice of it. You see, I was asleep at the time. It was about five o'clock in the morning. I was a wakened by something, and when I asked what was the matter they told me it was an earthquake. I turned over and went to sleep again. When I rose to go on duty at eight o'clock I was sur- prised to seo clouds of smoke coming from the city and big buildings ablaza. A little later I had occasion to go ashore to get some things left in a hotel in the centre of the city, but I soon realised that I could not go by the ordin ary
buildings bad collapsed and streets were a mass of fire from end to end. I got round by the wharves and many of these were crumpled up. However, I got to the hotel and procured a few of the things that had been left, but as messengers wanted 820 to go to the ship I had to leave most of the things I had in- tended to take away".
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routes, 88
· 824 – That was a big price."
Yes, but they could command any moue, at that time. You can understand the difficulties of going throngh the city when I tell you that it took me over five hours to get back to the ship. It was an awful time. People were running most of the time I did not see the worst sights. about quite crazy, though being on the ship
We took about three hundred homeless people, mostly employees of the Company, on board.. fed and sheltered them for five days."
· Other ships would do the same, I suppose?" Yes, I saw a good many people rush from the city ou bard the vessels lying at the wharves. Most of the vessels afterwards anchored a little from the shore."
Why?
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Well, it was witer. Some of the ships at the wharves were turned over by the earthquake,
And how did the townspeople who escaped
far
At first they could uɔt get food for love nor money, but after a day or two relief trains came The through from the east and the south. Government established relief camps, supplying the people with tents and provisions. A family of sir would get two tents, while everybo ly bad to line up at the stores where the food was dealt out to them."
that is for an American city?
The buildings in 'Frisco were not very high..
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I have very often an opportunity of shipping woollens for exclusive foreign use to outports; these goods come to Shanghai packed several pieces in a case, and I distribute them according to the orders I get; part of them are sold here, and other parts to various outports. It goes without saying that import duty is paid on them in Shanghai, and I am careful to get a transit pass. Now, on shipping, I also present the transit pass, but on the goods' arrival at their destination, my constituents there have to pay again Customs duty. Once I had the opportunity of speaking to a high Customs authority about this matter, and I have been told that this is the law". In former times wollens for foreign use paid no duty at all, but since we have to pay duty on goods for foreign consumption, I see
No, they were not so high as you would find back onat. no reason why we should pay twice, even when
The average was about four or five storeya, the original package has to be broken into and
The high buildings such as the Call parts of it distributed in various Chinese Treaty office and others were what you would call show buildings. I'll tell you a carious thing that happened at one of the hotels. The first three storeys collapsed, killing about 75 people, but the fourth storey slid right out on the street and the people were able to climb out by the windows. Yes, you would see buildings knocked into the most fantastic shapes. For instance. I noticed one hotel where the first two storeys. were slanting at sa obtuse angle from the ground and the story above sloped from the second storey at an acute angle.
When I came· along I noticed the railroad track standing up- in the air and twisted in the most extraordinary
Ports.
I thought that by the provisions of the Mackay Treaty foreign importers have to pay an increased rate of duty on imports so as to allow them free and unhampered trading from one Treaty Port, where Customs duty has bean paid once, to any other port in the Chinese Empire, but as such does not seem to be the case at present, it will be very interesting to see what those interested in free trading in China have to say about this very important question. Thanking you in anticipa tion for inserting this, and enclosing my card, I am,
elo,
TRADER.
Sir-Will you kindly allow me to inform your correspondents under this heading that the "Household Goods" pass was designed to meet just the contingency they complain of.
wanner.
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"What about the looting that was said to have taken place?
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That was disgraceful. As you know, martial law had to be proclaimed and there were many curious experiences in consequences
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(May 28, 1906. Supposing you were walking along the street, you might happen to come to a place where k building had collapsed sud the bricks had fallen into the street. A soldier would stop you and order you to throw the bricks into the ruins. And yon had to do it. No use attempting to argue with a man standing over yon" with a loaded gun. Why, two of our officers were detained for hours one day, having been stopped like that and compelled to shift bricks. Another of our men had gone with bis wife up into the country and was sleeping in the open air. He was awakened some time in the morning by a pred in the ribs and on opening his eyes looked up into the mussle of a gun, behind which was a soldier, who said " Get up.”
"All right,” WAS the response, "wait a minute.” No, can't wait any minutes. Must get up now. I want you."
So without further discussion the man rose and followed the soldier down the hill. At the foot he was given a belt and a revolver and told to keep watch at that partion. lar place and if anybody came along to take them up to the officer on duty on the hill. He did so and commandeered a number for service of a similar nature. Of course many prople didn't like it. Still it mattered not what their rank or position was, they were all pressed into the service. I have mentioned already that the Government introduced relief measures. They accommodated the people in camps..
At one place it was necessary to dig a trench and the soldiers brought along a number of Japanese and lined them up, preparatory to being instructed as to what they were to do. One Japanese made a great fuss over it. He was not going to do any spade work, but one of the soldiers pricked him in the rear and he was glad to fall in with the others. After he had been digging some time he came out of the trench and pulling a note. book from his pocket wrote something thereon,
asking that the message might be conveyed to the Japanese Consul. This was done and that official arrive in response. When he saw the gentleman who had protested so much, he informel the soldiers that be was a most influ ential men and very wealthy. But this did not appeal to the soldier, who asked the Consul if he had finished his speech; and On receiving an answer in the” affirmative fold him to get down into the trench with the others. That shows you that everybody was treated alike.
“There were a good many criminals loose?"
Yes. The gaol was destroyed and a lot of crooks got fres. They were dealt with very severely. If anybody was caught stealing they were shot on the spot without warning." The soldiers would ask you three times to work and then if you refused you would be shot. But with crooks it was different. I saw one man who had been shot at an automobile works. They had pinned on his clothing a paper with the words “Crooks, take notior." Thisres will be shot.” That was allowed to lie on the streets for about four days, until the body was black."
"Was the fire extinguished by the time you lefty"
Yes, but many of the buildings which had collapsed could not be touched. The bricks were so hot that the place was like an oven, For instance, the vaults of the baoks where they bad all their money could not be touched for weeks until the place had properly cooled and the gases which had scoumalated" had escaped. I should have told you of ons experience on the night of the earthquake. I went aabore and went up to a siloon. The fellow behind the bar was giving out beer, but I wanted whisky and asked him for some. He replied "Come round and help yourself. This isn't my saloon. I don't know whose it is; take what you want." I did, and there were scores of other people doing the same.
What are the present?
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Government doing at
They are putting up temporary structures of corrugated iron. The people will be tem. porarily accommodated in these and before the summer is over better dwellings should be ready 1 for them."
M. Bapat, who succeeds M. Dubail in charge of the French Legation at Peking arrived at Shangbai last week and received the local gentle- men in charge of affairs,
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