May 23, 1908.1
!
ing unnecessary Anglo-German bitternesses he is far from infallible. He has recently been guilty of a "howler” which must have amused those who watch the progress of events in China. In the following extract, he seems to present Germany to us as an aggressive power withdrawing from China with chagrin at its own failure :—
“Thus it was lately announced that the Germans were withdrawing their garrisons fr ›m China, at the very moment that they were com pleting their designs upón Morocco. Thit consummation marks the end of the chapter which began with the occapition of Kisochan and is not destined to be continud. The task war beyond her power, and having fa led, there was nothing for it but to abandon interests in the Far East which could only be defended by German arms or by the force of an alliance under German hegemony. Es war ein Traum. And now the troops ar being withdrawn, the dream is dispelled and a new cours; has to be
taken.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. always been in the habit of ignoring them when it suited her purpose, they need not be drawn up with too scrupulous card. Seriously, there is no doubt, in spite of these numerous parchments, of the general- ly anomalous position of China and the Powers; and examination shows that with regard to the particular matter now raised, the treaties are particularly at fault. As the Foochow Eche says : “This want of a clear delimitation of port areas is most unsatisfactory, and can only be remedied by fresh agreement between China and the foreign Powers, clearly defining what the port limits are. Seawards, these are sufficiently defined, but landwards, they are not defined at all. No one with any knowledge of the recent history of official intercourse with the Chinese will be pre- pared to say that such an agreement would ensure the due observance of foreigners' rights in respect of residence or leasing land; but it would in any case involve å clear statement of what exactly those rights were and afford a sound basis of argument to adduce when they were infringed.
979
nothing more said from Peking, we inoline to the belief that the protest of the GERMAN MINISTER must have been misreported.
THE STEEL TRUST.
£
(Daily Press, 23rd May).
no means difficult to understand why a strong ruler like TaroDore Roosevalt should already have begun to see in these uncontrolled associations the elements of future danger to the state; and to have been actively urging the necessity of subor- diuating them to the laws of the lant, which to a considerable extent they already set at aught, or materially iufneacs to their own pecuniary advantage.
affect a nation, when uncontrolled by How injuriously a gigantic association may
countervailing laws, and assisted by the financial help of a powerful Government, such as that of the United States, may bɔ seen from a glance at the recent report of the United States Steal Corporation. Most successful of all the "trusts" which have been started on the American contineat the Steel Corporation has succes led in getting into its hands, either directly or through the medium of subsidiary companies, the entire control of the iron production of the United States; and pзrmits no private 'That is more than a dream: it is a nightmare
interference with its prerogative-and this of stupulity. He does not understand that
control extends not only to the production the German proposal to withdraw troops
of the raw material but to its manufacture from China was a movement too essentially
into the finished pro-luct; so that the peace-loving even for some Englishmen out
selling price of iron and steel in the here, who regarded it as a distinctly pre-Clause 2 of Section III. of the Chefoo United States is as inflexibly fixed by mature striving after peace and harmony. Convention was subsequently reserved for the Corporation as are the laws of the The alleged abandonment of interests is not
further consideration, with the result that land through the operation of Govern borne out by the continued progress of while the boundaries of the uniquement and legislature. It is therefore by Kinóchau, under a policy of commercial settlement of Shanghai are defined, there are conquest at which we have no right to many open ports and trade settlements grumble. When such misunderstandings where the foreign area and rights are left are possible, the rest are easily understo d. quite indefinite. Foochow itself appears to It is to be hoped that as much attentisu be a notable example of nacertainty. The will be paid to writers like the one Chinese, contrary to their usual prejudice, previously quoted, who in the Atlantic as evinced at Canton and more recently at Monthly reminds us that the KAISER is Changsha, allow residence in the native Queen VICTORIA's grandson, and that city; but what foreigners call Fuochow is a he has inherited the dominant mental very much scattered collection of residences characteristics" which made that in ly o
and hongs. Nantai, Kuliang, and we suppose It is not, however, in their relations to of the great figures of history. Mr. Low even Pagoda would come into consideration the United States that the doings of says,
if any dispute as to foreiga rights the Steel Trust so much interest the should arise. There is no legal concession; British Empire, as in their effect on but there has been a tacit concession that British trade in general, and us an indication the foreigner might settle almost wherever of what the financial policy of a powerful in the vicinity fancy please him. all these places'
"Are state may do to modify the commerce of our contemporary asks, the world. When the United States "inside the limits of the treaty port ?" declared for protection pure and undiluted, There is no satisfactory answer, and Foochow and the celebratel
McKinley Tariff" settlers may be congratulated on the fact becaine the law of the land, “trusts" of that they have none of the embarrassments the present character were only in embryo, of the Shanghai Municipal Council, where and their formation formed no portion of there are properly defined limits. As to the the programime of the protectionists. In right or wrong of the Chinese action at the close and unwholesome atmosphere Shanghai, it was probably the motives which encouraged by the new tariff they, however, inspired it that provoked Barou Mux's sprung naturally from the soil. The futile protest. We do not suppose that intention of the tariff was avowedly to close his nationals at Shanghai are particularly the markets of the United States to the (Daily Press, 22nd May )
anxious to encourage straggling settlers manufactured products of the rest of the We quoted on April 25th from a northern outside the boundaries; at any rate, if they world, and this, except in the case of contemporary a report that Baron Mʊмн, are, we cannot appreciate their reasons. luxuries, they undoub edly did. But the the German Minister at Peking, had pro- The Foochow Echo has very ingeniously same tariff which closed the United States teated against the action of the Chinese juxtaposed two views of Article XII. of the markets to the manufactures of Europe, it authorities in forbidding Chinese landowners Tientsin Treaty, à propos extra-settlement was soon seen, would also close the markets to sell to foreigners muy land outside the rights. The words "or at other places
of Europe to American manufactured goo la boundaries of the Shanghai settlement. may bear the construction that foreigners owing to their necessarily enhanced cost of Some of the papers, obviously in error, citel have a right to acquire laud anywhere in production. It was beyond the abilities of the third article of the Chefoo Convention China; but we do not favour that construc-individual manufacturers to overcom as Baron MUM's ground of action. We tion. That Article of the British Treaty the difficulty; and the situation naturally remarked at the time that "this is one of has for subject matter the rates of purchase, suggested the utility of cumbinition the things we shou'd think China justifi not the rights; and its object, its only object, The hone market was sacure; pag in doing", having chief in view at the seems to have been to secure “just dealing long as the Tariff lasted no foreign time the inconvenience that has been caused in land transactions where such transactions competition was to b3 fenrel; aud to the foreign admits rators of the Shanghai į could take place". This seems clear enough it would be a comparatively easy thing to settlement. We notice that our Fo chow when it is read in conjunction with the persuade the home manufacturers that ju contemporary, thì Kcho, has gone in ire
combination as opposed to a›mpetitio i lay fully into the matter; with the "resu't that
the rond to unlimited profits. The Tariff | May 12th it publishes a lea fer which w:
was persistently protective 'as regirded the take to confirm our brister pronouncement:
ho de manufacturer, but it omittel the At the same time it points out once more
equally important element of protecting tte exceedingly ragus nature of the under-
the hom; consumer, who found that he had standing with China as to all such matters.
now to carry the latter on his shoulder. It Apparently the framers of conventions an
is true that combinations of the sort curry treaties have regarded them us merely
within themselves the seeds of dissolution, ornamental scalps: marking conquest; or
and most of them collapsed; but a few, they may have thought that as China has
piloted by more resolute men, or mor
When the history of this period of th German Empire is written, it may be discovered that William the Second wis a min who spoks for the future to hear. Then it may be under stood that his influɔno› was for ppical not for war; that he spoke with a purpose; that h heard the voice of humanity; that he was one of the positive foros of his sim2, Hohenzollerns have given to hi tory a grat elector an la gra i king, and Willism the First has been called a gr at emperor. History my yet find that greater than the greatest of his race is the reigning sovereign; b cause while the claims of his ancestors are written in wir. his title to greatness in the dower of peaos."
Qu
BUYING LAND IN CHINA.
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{
The
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Article immediately preceding, which names the localities where "the right of residence, buying or reuting houses, of leasing laud therein ", &c., d...., was determined. If, as we think, the Chinese are not compelled to sell to foreigners land outside treaty port limits, the error of Baron Muxx's implied claim is apparent since we are not aware that there is any dispute as to the position of those limits at Shanghai. On the whole, as there has been
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