June 16, 1906.]
"
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE Report.
427
Then
a mystery. However, he will be unable to when he is not hostile to further inquiry is do so a ter the SECRETARY of the Asso- ciation has sent in affidavits, or whatever the form be that evidence has to take to satisfy the Board of Trade of the existence of "a real, substantial grievance ”. the Government will invite the opinion of the shipowners, and afterwards deal with the matter. Thus, however unsatisfactory the PRESIDENT's speech sounds, we may conclude that the position of the shippers has been advanced at least a little way.
THE SINAI PENINSULA.
(Daily Press, 14th June.) Whether the British Government could not wisely have taken a less uncompromising stand with regard to the disputed boundary between Turkey and Egypt in the Sinaitic peninsula seems certainly open to discussion. While undoubtedly, according to the strict interpretation of the understanding between Turkey and Great Britain, Turkey had no 'leg to stand on, the questiɔn resolved itself into the simple enquiry whether Grent this was not a matter admitting of debate, Britain could not, while maintaining that secure some compensating advantages from the Porte which would have more than compensated for the seemingly infinitesimal loss of prestige on the part of Egypt which was apparently the chief ground of dispute. All three sides concerned in the dispute seem to have coincided in one view, aud that was as to the utter uselessness of the
stated that the Spanish Consul consented, | be people who fear that Mr. LLOYD-GEORGE | so that he cannot raise the ples of fairplay. and the Belgian Consul countersigned the is not a good cobbler, although his Why he should so fence with the deputation warrant. Anyhow, the prosperous Mill intentions appear to be good. He had no was closed and over three hundred fear of legislating, he told them, which employees thrown out of work. Mr. Lang was a curious remark for a legislator to ipmats that all this was done without make. He believed it was a mistake to bringing any judicial proceedings ainst interfere with a great industry unless there the owners of the Mill or in any way giving, was an overwhelming cise; and thereby them a chance to present their side of the must have made some of the shippers case in a legal Court". He appears to be wonder when * A serious grievance much hurt at the idea that the wicked connected with "Imperial interests claimant'sattorney was a member of the Muni-
be comes an overwhelming case. "It was cipal Council, which body collected heavy very clear that nothing but legislation or taxes but could not interfere to protect were the interference of a Government Depart Chinese. It is this sort of thing, he asserts, ment would attain the object", he is which drives Chinese to appeal for protec reported to have said, and the suspicion tion to any Consulate willing to take them that he was marking time becomes almost under its wing. This is in allusion to the a certainty. In keeping with the traditions allegation that the Spanish Consul is too of British statesmanship, be stipulated for complacent in the matter of registering all official information as to the shipowners' comers as Spanish subjects. Mr. LANG point of view, as so far he had heard only aska, can such Consuls be blamed for the case for the Colonial and Hoine traders, sasuming juri-diction in cases where other Obviously the shipowner should have a wise gross injustice and severe bardship not hearing, and it is unlikely that he will be only fall on one but on the many involved, "backward in coming forward", although by reason of Chinese officialdom's actual it is improbable that he will attempt to disregard not only of law, but almost of absolutely rebut the stateinent that there decency?" The writer does not give dates; is a prima facie case for the charge that and we have gone through a year's file British shipowners have been giving some. without finding any reference to case; but we have little doubt that the Indeed, after the cases cited in detail by the thing like a bounty on foreign goods. Municipal Council will have an answer to representatives from the Birmingham, any suggestion of neglect on its part. In Walsall, and other Chambers, Mr. LLOYD emphasising native injustice or incompet. GEORGE could scarcely claim that to be a ence, the administrative body of Shanghai particularly handsome admission". has not confiued itself to citing only cases
It was rather like the remark of a magistrate in which foreigners have been directly to a female complainant with a black eye, interested. The significant features of the that she did seem to have been treated in letter, which our contemporary would hardly an unbecoming manner by somebody. But have inserted if it had been wholly baseless the charge, of marking time, against the and wrong, are these. Over his own name, PRESIDENT of the Board of Trade, is further Chinese ratepayer denounces in round strengthened by his own terminological terms the dishonesty of Chinese officials, generosity. He went on to assure these and fairly bints at the extent to which business men that that was a state of they, and even a body like the Chamber of things that the Government could not Commerce, are subject to the ramified possibly encourage (the Government had influence of the VAH KAH-DER gang. received no such request) and "he was not Unless Mr. LANG be promptly and certainly so sure, if it were seriously interfering with contradicted, foreign critics wust feel
trade, that they ought not to take steps to justified in giving freer riu to their discourage it". He bad just been assured distrust.
by traders that the practice was interfering with trade; he had gone so far as to admit that after going very carefully into the matter he had no doubt that there was a very serious grievance; and yet be, the practical bend of a practical department, could only say he was not so sure that they ought not to take steps. We have no record that any member of the deputation murmured, even sotto voce, a recent phrase of Mr LLOYD GEORGE'S political chief; and perhaps we would be letting a natural impatience run away with the opinion that the preferential us if we said on their behalf, Enough of treatment accorded by British steamship this foolery,' The most hopeful suggestion companies to foreign freight, particularly was that he should invite the Advisory in connection with shipment to .outh Committee of the Board of Trade to recom- Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, is mend what steps could be taken to provide injurious to the commercial interests of the a reniedy. Notwithstanding that he had United Kingdom. From their point of admitted the grievance, and specifically view, equality of treatment for British stated that his difficulty was to think of a shippers is an essential, and they urged the remedy, he objected to this suggestion on necessity for some steps to secure it. The the ground that the Advisory Committee PRESIDENT of the Board of Trade could not consisted of traders, without a single ship deny that there was a serious grievance; owner. This was indeed statesmanship ex- indeed, Sir WILLIAM HOLLAND, M.P., told traordinary. A body admittedly competent him it Was an old-standing one. He and admittedly anxious to advise him is to therefore assured the deputation that he be ignored, because of the absence in it of realised its Imperial importance. As there a representative of the very class which is af shippers at both ends, it was correct said to be doing things that he thinks he enough to describe them as Imperial interests, and the deputation would natural be put into a good humour by such a begin. ning. But when they came to remedies, be mid it was a much more difficult matter. It always is. Anybody can feel a pinching shoe, but only shoemakers can mend the trouble. In the matter of shipping, there
*
BRITISH SHIPPERS AND THE BOARD OF TRADE. (Daily Press, 13th Juue.) It may be said that the attitude of Mr. LLOYD-GEORGE, President of the Board of Trade, to the deputation from the Associa tion of British Chambers of Commerce, was non-commital but not easy to under stand. The deputation attended in support
of
16
ouzht to discourage but does not know how! Does the PRESIDENT of the Board of Trade imagine that a'ipowners would help to suggest possible steps to be taken against themselves? He certainly cannot be foolish enough to suppose that they will permit their case to remain unheard when hitherto undiscovered remedies are brought forward,
i
ground in dispute. In the actual present it matters little whether Tubah and the seven miles in question are Turkish or Egyptian territory, for under existing conditious the península of Sinai has sunk through neglect almost to the position of a no-man's land. Formerly this very pen- insula was considered so valuable au asset that for long it was a bone of contention between the two great civilisations on the bank of the Nile and the Euphrates re- spectively; and long after its final passing into Egyptian hands the rulers of that country found it profitable to maintain there a large military garrison to protect their very material interests. Tuis impor tauce was brofight about not only from the occurrence of very valuable copper niiues, in an age of bronze a mnitor almost of existence to Egypt, but that in addition through this now desolate peninsula passed the great trade routes that connected Egypt with the other civilised states of the early world. Time has its revenges, and in nothing is this more plainly exhibited than in the gradual return during the last cen. tury of trade to its primeval routes. main causes have of course been instrument tal in bringing this about, the growth of the British Empire in India, and its corollary, the opening of the Suez Canal. A third with the opening of the new century for the first time becoming of first rate importance is, of course, the opening up to commerce
of Africa.
Two
Fifteen years ago the construction of a direct line of communication between Cape Town in the south and Cairo in the north of Africa was only a dream of the fertile brain of the late CECIL RHODES; already it has been taken up as a practical project by keen men of business, and is inaking daily rapid strides towards completion. British influence at the moment is paramount in Egypt, and a railway to Cape Town from Cairo would not be complete without its natural concomitant of another from Cairo to Karachi. So long ago as the 'thirties of
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