August 21, 1907.]
28
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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19
A PLEASING PARALLEL.
(Daily Press, 22ud August.)
115
The reward of the Hon. Mr. E. A. HEWETT cannot fail to be forthcoming. His name is sure to figure in some early Honours list, in consequence of his labours as Chairman of the recent Commission, as well as of much other work he has accomplished for the benefit of the community. Our confidence is not shaken by the recent references to the buying and selling of British honours, for both Parties do include a deserving case now and then in their lists of rewards, perhaps to make them look honest. But whether Sir EDBERT A. HEWETT be a title familiar to us sooner or later, the gentleman who ought to bear it is enjoying even now a certain reward, in the practith the unanimous approval of the civil popuson, who admire his abilities and respect his character. No
and Bureaucrat both, and is yet intended to are others that come under the head of honours have been bestowed more as party have sufficient vitality of its own to be able legitimato perquisites, from the point of cumshaws than as honest rewards of merit, to take the initiative in measures of reform. view, anyway, of the squeezor. The average and the fact that Mr. BALFOUR agreed with It is easy to understand why such a scheme squeezee cannot be expected to refrain from C.-B. to ignore these charges does not does not altogether fall in with the ways of putting all into the first category, but there weaken the suspicion. the imperious lady who has for the last are some old residents who take a philoso- the House" may have been "best served by "The dignity of thirty years swayed the affairs of China, and phical view of the matter, and advise that passing on to the next business," but we has permitted no one to stand in her way. often it is the shrewdest policy to look the would prefer to have it vindicate its honour More marked even, and probably fraught other way. It is on record that Sir ROBERT first, and dignity would then automatically with grave consequences to the state is the HART began by attempting to check the attach. We have not the slightest doubt approach that has recently taken place squeezes of his "boy," but that after long whatever that a strict investigation into the between the Viceroy of Chibli, and him of experience he decided that it was an finances of the House as well as of the the Hukwang. CHANG CHITUNG has impossible feat. Soon after one of his parties would prove an eye-opener. Now not been a model administrator, and numerous promotions had been notified, his and then a straw floats, like the snuff-bill has made many mistakes which have house expenses went up suddenly and at Westminster, but there is something cost the country large sums of money to considerably. Interrogated, his set right. Withal he has shown himself blandly explained,
boy curious in the way enquirers are always "Master have got subdued. Perhaps possessed of two qualities, rare amongst chancee; boy get chances too", or words to House" is an ever ready shield in times of "the dignity of the Chinese.. officials, which have obtained that effect. This is a popular way of trouble; it is supposed to be more gentle, for him the good will of the empire-regarding the matter in both China and manly to hush such things up than to drag rulers and people alike to a degree not Japan. The superior is always expected to good Dames "in the mire "-unless they attained by any other statesmau of the share any of his enhanced prosperity with happen to be Chinese. day he is eminently honest, and as his subordinates. The rich man ought to eminently patriotic in the best sense. pay more for things than the poor. As He has not, for instance, as the Lis and there are plenty of employers who declare Shengs, made the holding of public office an that it only makes bad worse to try and stop occasion for personal aggrandisement, and these illicit gains at their expense, so there on the other side, though perfectly friendly are plenty of pessimists who abandon hope and just to the foreigner, he has in his that mandarindom will ever be purged of its relations sought only the advantage of his rapacity, that China can ever boast an country. The effect of both of these is that honest administration. Even that is not no man through a long official career has too wild a prophecy to be excused, but too been able to such a degree to win the con- often it is spoiled by addition of the words fidence of Chinese and foreigner alike. So
like ours. 13
The remarkable difference in it has come about, contrary to the ordinary the amount of customs dues handed to the rule, that CHANG's reputation is by no Government since the collection Was means to be considered as conterminous entrusted to foreigners has served as a with his ability. In many respects, then, bolster to the complacent assumption that there is so marked a contrast between the foreigners are innately more honest than two men that at first sight their approach the Chinese. We deprecate this deficient might seem unnatural, and it might even modesty iu our fellow foreigners, and seem that so staunch a conservative without laying it down as an axiom that all CHANG would have few sympathies with as men are rogues, we would snub their ardant an innovator as YUAN; yet there is pharisaic unction by calling attention to one great point in common between the men, some recent evidences that China has no unlike in other particulars, and that is that monopoly of what are often called Chinese both alike in their various ways are patriotic, failings. We have so often censured the and both alike feel from their individual Chinese for their shortcomings, to an experiences that change of some sort has accompaniment of become a necessity.
foreign applause, YUAN, as the abler that it does not seem unfair to administrator, finds that he can well take administer a backhander or council with the older man, who will certain- | there be anything more
two. Could ly advise no hasty steps, yet whose life-long nese",
typically Chi- for instance, than the state of experience has enabled him independently | things in Portugal, as depicted in our to diagnose many of the causes of China's London correspondent's last notes? It is present paralysis. The invitation, then, quite possible that some of Macao's ex- sent to CHANG CHITUNG to proceed to cessive contributions to Timor and Portugal Peking, and his promotion to the Grand might have been returned for local use but Secretariat, the highest rank attainable by for the corruption at Lisbon. Plural office- an official, is an indication that the powers holders there have been having a profitable that be at Peking have at last been convinc time until the new Premier interfered. ed of the impossibility of continuing in the The rich family of a defunct official have old groove, and that some radical change been drawing his salary for three years since in head quarters is impending. Rumour he died. A non-existent nunnery is entered has it that Prince CHUN, whom we have on the disbursement side of the cash book, in such cases of fracture we do ssen ourselves, and whose visit to Europe "the only explanation", as our correspon-call in a medical practitioner, but for under somewhat humiliating conditions will dent says, being that some public spirited the usual immaterial ailments, we prefer have convinced him that something is Portuguese official came to the conclusion the faith cure. Everything would be all missing, will be appointed to a position that he was the direct successor to the right in our happy family if only Messrs. corresponding to Prime Minister, or Chan- nunnery." There have been discovered, HEWETT, HOPER and HUMPHREYS would cellor, and all these may be accepted as WO are told, hundreds of cases like have more faith. So we can imagine the indications that something more than mere this." And Lisbon, like the Portuguese Mother Eddys of our local bureaucracy words is intended, and that the party Minister to Peking, is not in China. talking, for they have assured us, as a working for reform of the worst abuses are The other case 18 disclosed by the matter of fact, that the ordinances relating now in the ascendant.
latest Parliamentary reports from Great to the administration of sanitary matters are Britain. The Chinese Government has practically perfect. No one outside the just virtuously refused to make a profit bureaucracy dreams of swallowing that, and by selling titles and honours to men who all are waiting to see if the Secretary of can afford to pay for them, but a Mr. H. C. State for the Colonies has been led by the LEA, M.P., has just alleged that titles are nose to the point of making a laughingstock bought and sold in England. It is curious that the chairman of Sir Henry Campbell-while the Honble. Mr. BEWETT has found of our expensive but able ənquiry. Mean- Bannerman's election committee should the test case. The draft estimates, or rather have been made a knight, for his list of the method of their presentment, provided qualifications for preferment appears to be him with a casus belli, and he made a good otherwise blank. There have been strong beginning in the good fight that must surely suspicions for a long time now that British
"SQUEEZE" UNIVERSAL?
(Daily Press, 21st August) It has often been said that the Chinese will never succeed in bringing themselves into line with the leading nations of the world until they admit that "squeeze pidgin b'long allee-same steal pidgin." As has been more than once pointed out in this column, ** squeeze" is a wide subject. There are patently dishonest "squeeses," and there
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officially bestowed title could be a prouder one than a general verdict that a publicist is a fearlessly honest advocate of all he believes to be right and fair, and the Hon. Mr. HEWETT has established his claim to that at least. The new Governor has arrived on the heels of
Sanitary Board. The Commission's report an indisputable crisis in the history of the was like the fiat of an eminent specialist; the patient must
certain operation, or succumb. The officialdom of
undergo a
Hongkong, if we may pursue the poky parallel, is in the position of the Christian Science devotee, who tries to persuade the patient that there is nothing really the matter with him except imaginary ills. Bribery and corruption?
Well,
yes,
come
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