7
October 14, 1907.]
them are to be specially recommended to the Throne for reward and promotion. Those who have been found to have been relax in their duties are to be censured and warned, so that all may work earnestly and bring those about them to the proper way of thinking. Those who misapprehend our intentions and lead their hearers in the wrong direction will be sternly dealt with and made a warning to others. Let these our commands be made known to every one in the Empire.-N.-C. Daily News.
MANCHU AND CHINESE.
At Peking on September 27th, was pub- lished an Imperial Decree thus translated for the North China Daily News :----
We established our dynasty in this Country by feat of arms and in doing so at the time we put garrisons in various cities of the provinces to keep order therein. Since the pacification of the Country many years have passed, and in the meanwhile the members of of our garrisons, having nothing to do, have become loafers and lazy men while at the same time they have become a heavy burden on the Country. Multiplying in members the younger genera ions were reared in poverty and want, having to depend only upon the allowances that had been granted by Imperial Clemency at the beginning of the dynasty, and having on the other hand never learned a trade or profession as did the common people around them to support themselves. It has therefore, now become an urgent necessity for our garrisons to find some means of gaining a livelihood and we hereby command our Viceroys and Governors to confer with the Tartar Generals and Mancha Lieutenant Generals of the said garrisons first to make a oensus of the men under them. These garrisons have their own stables and horse breeding grounds and farms. It is, therefore hereby commanded, that a set of regulations be drawn up without delay, and the lands in quis. tion be surveyed and divided up amongst these garrisons according to the number of members of each family, so that each family bave enough land to onltivate sufficient for their individual support and sustenance. Those garrisons that had no borse breeding grounds or farms are to look to the local authorities of their town for the necessary lands. These are to be obtained by purchase and voluntary sale at the hands of the farmers around them. The prices to be paid to the farmers being in accordance with the scale of prices ruling at the time. These lands are to be cultivated by one out of every ten men or more of the garrisons in question each year, the number being increase i gradually as time progresses; and the families who have taken up the land for agriculture are to hold them for generation after generation without break. No one will be allowed either to sell or mortgave his land. Those who take to farming will not be allowed to draw their rations as soldiers. The money thus sared will be made into a special fund. Bannermen who bave become farmers must abide by the laws paling amongst those around them. They
are
to be similar to the Chinese around them in every respect. Each family will have enough land to support its members, and the amount of land for each will be different in each province, soccording as the state of the country they live in may be & rich one or otherwise. The members of the garrisons who have taken up civilian lives will be made to learn trades and attend schools, and the authorities concerned are commanded to work earnestly and diligently in the matter, so that our Bannermen may have every opportunity offered them to gain a proper livelihood. The money required to start the farmers, and for such 88 desire to learn arts and handicrafts, shall be drawn from the usual funds and reserves for the support of the garrisons in question. We look to our Viceroys, Governors and Tartar Generals to use their best efforts and avoid being influenced by private interest in the performance of the duties in this respect. The Ministry of Finance is commanded to have ready the required money for this work, and let there be no jealousy nor racial distinctions. Let each one keep us in our object to treat our all subjects with equal kindness and olemency.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
JAPAN.
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)
THE STOCK MARKET IN AUGUST. Settling day for August constituted a bad change, the number of shares being less than record in the history of the Tokyo Stock Ex.
50,000-a figure which is 25,000 below the dullest settlement during the war. During the boom nine months ago many a day's transac- tions were larger than the total for last month, which shows to what extent the market has fallen off since the debacle of January. Though there are many good omens, the market remains stolidly depressed. Recently the Tokyo Eleo- tric Railway Co.-or electric tramway as it would be called in England-received the coveted and hard-fought-for sanction from the authorities to engage in electric lighting all over the city but, this had not the slightest effect on its scrip, which by the end of August had fallen two points, or as much as tuose of the Tokyo Eleotrio Light Co. itself, which has hitherto held a practical monopoly and must be severely hit by the competition.
SEPTEMBER.
month looked for any improvement in the No one at the beginning of the car.ent
market and all conditions seem to have com. bined against it, from the weather to inter- national affairs. The critical period in the life of the rice plant has passed, but we are still in doubt as to the actual orop that is likely to ba harvested, owing to the uncertain weather and The rice crop more thau anything els repre the unusually low temperature for this season,
sents the wealth of Japan. Some weeks must yet alapse before the crops are harvested, and one can only hope fervently that the weather will become more normal and seasonable than it has been for the past month. It is fortunate that the two most valuable crops, rice and silk, showed splendid prospective result, much above injured by bad weather, the yield is expected to average years, th ngh both having been greatly be only slightly above average years. Once the country becomes confident of this how ever, the effect will be seeu in the improved conditions of trade and a rising stock market. It may be said that this is all the market i now waiting for, but at the time of writing ther is no sign of a change for the better.
THE T. K K'S WITHDRAWAL. The announcement that the Tovo Kisen Kaisha will withdraw its South American service is interesting in view of the new trans- Pacific lines that are projected. The Osika Shosen Kaisha is now building five steamers for a service to Seattle and we read that a n-w
Vladivostok and Daluy. American line is to start between Seattle, All this in addition to the increasing efforts of other companies to secure a profitable share of trade. It looks as if everybody will benefit excepting the share holders of the shipping companies. In present years the Orient has become eminently the theatre of commercial competition, but there to be something forced about it all It does not resemble natural commercial growth and expansion of trade with a reasonable prospect by the desire to develop trade of profits, but just ordinary speculation backed
adays so many in the field that these adventures out of the path of steady progress seem to be considered necessary. Hence the T. K. K's dividend for last half year comes out of its
į
seems
are
249
must severely affect the resources of several companies and weaken the best. It is probably in view of this that the manufacturers of Kyoto now considering insuring with foreign concerns, as few Japanese companies could stand a repetition of the Hakodate disaster-which may come at any moment in cities built mainly of wood.
1
THE SALE OF INDECENT PICTURES.
A pratice that has become the vogue since the war is the exchange of postcards and other correspondence between residents of Japan and England. The idea originated in this country, doubtless among that numerous class anxious to extend its knowledge of English. In at least one case the practice has been abused, for we read in the papers recently of a man in Osaka forwarding pornographic pistoras to & private address in England. It may be in consequence of this exposure that a fresh campaign has been begun by the polios against the sale of these pictures. The police of Tokyo have just succeeded in gathering in over 12,000 of them, some of which are valuable works of art (but for the sinister twin of the artists). The colour work, in which Japau excels, is excellent, and in looking over these confiscated pictures, one's chief regret is that the artists do not use their skill to better purpose, as that it can be exposed to the light of day. The pictures seized will be destroyed by order of the court.
THE JAPANESE LAKE DISTRICT.
Japan is increasing in popularity year by year as a holiday resort for China residents, and it is a matter of some difficulty to know pleasantly. The great majority of visitors how to spend the time most profitably and
never fail to stay for a week or so at the favourite resorts of Mijanoshita or Hakone and generally ascending Fuji in the season, bat as the mountain is only open for this does not suit those who choose the spring or purpose some two months of the year, this
autumn for their visits-and better seasons
journey of Mijanoshita is a beautiful lake could not be chosen. Within 8 day's district that is visited by small proportion of tourists, presumably on only a very account of its comparative inaccessibility. But it would be hard to find in the whole of Japan north and west of Fuji Mountain. Here the acou try more charming than that lying to the
gentle, flower bestrewn slopes of Fuji have many treasures to reveal-for the expenditure of a little trouble. The botanist would be delighted with the wealth of flowers and of her plants at all seasons of the year, with perhaps a brief exception during the months of January and February. Although there is no mountain climbing to be done in the or- dinary sense of the word the tourist will insensibly reach an altitude of four or five thousand fee: on these slopes and even the unscientific will be struck by the variation in the vegetation. In a day's trip through this flowery region the distribution of plants in relit on to altituie can be observed more clearly than perhaps on any other mountain in Japan. Over a thousand species have bien ostalogued by the lotanists, growing in forest and grassy plain, and besides there are vast tracts densily wooded, consisting of conifers and broad-leaved trees with a jungle of undergrowth, the very thought of which is transporting to the man accustomed to spend his days in orowded city and modern suburbia. Lying snugly between the forests and slopes is a pretty chain of, lakes whose symmetry can only be seen from a' bigh altitude on the neighbouring mountains to the north of Fuji, for example. There is s Investigation proved that the insurance com · chain of four lakes, and three of them have to panies were not by any means so heavily involved be crossed, with pleasant forest walks in between, by the Hakodate fire as was first believed and before the tourist arrives at a unique foreign from all accounts the companies have promptly hotel, built on the steep slope overlooking lakə or will speedily settle their liabilities. It has Shoji. Here excellent accommodation can be been rumoured that the Government would take | bad From this point there are views of Fuji drastic measures against those concerus shirking full settlement. This paternal attitude is not an uncommon one on the part of the Japanese Government in its relations with public com. panies, but if the companies do settle up fairly and squarely-in contrast to what happened after the San Francisco fire-then it may be put down as a good advertisement for the country, and will be carefully noted abroad. The losses,
reserves.
There are now.
INSURANCE COMPANIES AND THE
HAKODATE FIRE.
to be obtained under varying conditions that cannot be fitly described. The Peerless Mountain never seemed so peerless as when watched from day to day, in the rising and the setting sun. It is a perpetual study in light and shade — solemn and grand under all con- ditions, in mist and in sunshine. From here only can Fuji be seen in all its grandeur, and then only by him who has time to spare.
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