August 31, 1908.]
conditions and the local custom of such impor- tance that both co-managers' signatures were required to make it binding.
According to the evidence, it must be con- sidered local custom in Canton that claims on account of quality are decided by expert evidence at the place of destination, unless otherwise decided. Defendant, however, has admitted that he has made payment on account under the contract without any reservation, and by doing this he must be considered as having acknowledged the contract as it stood and cannot now claim not to be bound by it. It is not shown that any claim on account of quality has been made by the buyers.
In reference to the counterclaim, no evidence has been produced and judgement will therefore be given for the plaintiff with costs,
Within three days after receiving notice of this judgenient. defendant shall pay to plaintif Mexican $1,370.68, with interest at seven per cent per annum from April 16, 1908, until date of payment, and also the coets of this oase, with $100, or suffer the consequences of the law.
NATIVE OPIUM.
CHINA'S EFFORTS TO CHECK CULTIVATION,
Viceroy Tuan Fang and Governor Cheag Chi-lai, the Peking correspondent of the N.-C. Dalių New states, have jointly reported to the Empress Dowager about the probibition of the growth of native opiam in Huchonfu, Huaianfa and some other districts where the native drug is produced in large quantities every year. The memorialists announce that, sa nearly two years have now elapsed since the issue of the anti-opium Edicts, and as nothing has been actually done, with the exception of the closure of the opium dens in Chinese territory, to show that the Chinese Government is really in earnest, they have issued stringent orders to the various magistrates throughout the Province of Kiangan commanding them to prohibit the planting of any kind of native opium within their respective districts from the latter part of this year. In its place the fields ale to grow corn, wheat or other cereals. All farmers have been instructed to destroy their opium seeds. If they have already planted seeds, they must dig them out of the ground and sub- stitute for them corn or other cereals, otherwise they will be arrested and punished and their fields will be confiscated to the Government without the slightest mercy.
According to a memorial from Viceroy Chang Jan-chun, at Canton, similar stringent measures have been taken to restrict the cultivation of
poppy in the Liangkuang Provinces, which produces the best native opium in China, commonly called Kuangsu or Canton opium.
Recently Viceroy Hai Liang reported that the suppression of opium growing in Yunnan Province was proceeding space, and added that this fact might be quoted to foreign countries interested in the opium trade as an indication that the Central Government in Peking has
the co-operation of all the Provincial Govern- ments in this important reform.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE OPIUM QUESTION.
CHINESE CRITICISM OF MR CLEMENTI 8
STATISTICS.
Discussing the Opium Question, Chinese Public Opinion, a paper published in English at Peking, says:—
In Hongkong we have a battalion of cham pions of the drug and yet curiously enough almost all of them obviously demonstrate that the opposition to its abolition is not because they think its use in any way beneficial to the users, but is based on the loss which will accrue to the Colony's revenues through the loss of remunerative a trade as that which has been forced upon ant fostered among the Chinese by British Governments and traders.
80
however, Mr. Clementi, jaggling with figures, Among the Hongkong champions of Opium, stands out prominent. There is, however, DO need to be afraid of his statistios for though we do not question the accuracy of his figures we most distinctly disagree with conclusions which are intended to be drawn therefrom.
year
Taking Mr. Clementi's figures correct, we find that 397.425 picals or 607,192,000 as being
Taels of crude opium are consumed each in China. The loss in preparation is 50 per cent, therefore 303,596,0 0 Taels of prepared opium are consomed each year, This gives a daily consumption of 831,768 Taels prepared opium, which at an allowance of Tis 02 per diem gives a total of 4,158,812 daily smokers; confirmed in the habit.
Mr. Clementi is generous. He allows just twice this number, as he does not estimate on the reduced quantity of prepared as against crude opium. He then takes the estimated population of China at 44000,000 and thus discovers that approximately only two per cent of the population are confirmed opium smokers
The action of these three Viceroys in suppres- sing the growth of native opium within their jurisdictions has met with the approval of the Peking Government, and instructions have been issued to the other Viceroys and Governors throughout the Empire advising them to exert themselves in following the good example set them by their colleagues in Kiangsu, Kuang- tang and Yunnan. By such means opium will be suppressed before the expiry of the ten years fized by the first anti-opium ediot of September 1906.
JAPAN.
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
THE VALUE OF GOOD RELATIONS,
153
Tokyo, August 14. The papers voice the greatest satisfaction over the conciliatory attitude of Russia in connection with the "Miye Marn "affair, and accept this as one good result of the present cordial relations between Russia and Japan. The facts of the case are remarkable and one can easily understand scob an incident leading to very serious trouble. The "Miyo Maru,” deep sea fishing vessel, was overhauled by a Russian patrol boat off the Siberia's litoral. The Russians maintained that the Japanese were out of bounds, and, if not actually poaching, either had been or would be engaged in that
the stores and cargo in the vessel, seized the ship work. They then appear to have treated the Japanese without any consideration, disposed of and placed the crew under arrest. Subsequently a number of the crew were marohed under guard journey that the most serious part of the affair to the prison at Nicolaevsk, and it was on this
took place. The whole district of Nicolaevak in be considered minor in a well governed country ander martial law, and offences which would
are treated more seriously in this military governed district, One of the Japanese pri
With this we are quite prepared to agree, bat it is pertinent to enquire of what does this population of 40,000,000 consist. To anyone who knows bis Chins it is not hard to believe that the children ander 15 years of age num. ber something like 5 to 1 of the adult population. It is absurd to include any of these in the per- centage of a nation's drunkards or opium fiends
To assure, however, a wide enough margin the children can be reckoned as proportioned as 3 to 1 of the adults and their inclusion in the cou- sideration of the question being unreasonable we have only to deal with the remaining adult population of 100,000,000. From this again, under the cirumstances prevailing, the females can be practically eliminated as it is a demon. strable fact that the proportion of women smok- ers is insignificant. The women of China con- siderably outnumber the men, but in order to compensate for possible female smokers we can consider them as equally proportioned and shall accordingly have to deal only with 50,000,000 adult males. Taking it as a supposition that all smokers are consumers of Tis. 0.2 per day this will give us a percentage of 8.317 per cent of the male population over 15 years of age as confirmed opium smokers. It is to be remarked that the age limit given above is absurdly low.
Now it is an obvious fact that the confirmed the confirmed drunkards of smokers, like Western lands, are in a distinct minority. We should be making a generous margin if we allowed that 5 per cent of the smokers in Chins could be put into this category. We
should find that Consumera of
In the Japanese Department of Finance the Tariff Revision Investigation Committee is now much occupied in drafting the Dew Customs tariff which is to be revised in 1911. The Yomiuri has a paragraph stating that, according to a member of the committee, the Treasury has no intention of raising the tariff rates in any remarkable degree. In fact, the new tariff rates will be fixed on the basis of the tariff which was put in force in October, 1908, and which was compiled in anticipation of the forthcoming revision of the tariff in 1911. There will, therefore, be no remarkable change between the new tariff and that in force,
roads being very bad, but this privilege not soners was caught walking on the sidewalk, the being permitted prisoners, he seems to have been roughly treated by the guard. This provoked so onlooker, also a Japanese, but whether a prisoner or not, is uncertain, to throw a stone at the commander of the guard, which injured the guard on the head. For this offence six of the prisoners were tried by court-martial and in the summary manner of those courts,
sentenced to death Japan at once protested and the question was quickly brought for- ward at St. Petersburg with the probable result that everything will be settled amicably. The whole progress of this affair seems to show the desire on both sides to avoid trouble, but this is, unfortunately, not always the case in Russians had same provocation which has not disputes between nations. Perchance the
yet appeared in print, but even so, it would but further emphasise the value of good relations, while the attitude of both St. Petersburg and Tokyo shows a desire to settle an unpleasant matter quickly.
GENERAL FUKUSHIMA IN CHINA, Lieutenant-General Fakushima, who in thi
country has had charge of the training o Chinese military students, has just returned from a visit to China, where he has spent several weeks in a lengthy tour. The general refused
to
"talk" on military matters to a press representative, but he related an interesting experience which, he hopes, will be digested by the students in this country. While at a point somewhere between Peking and Bankow on the railway the General was delayed by an interrup- tion on the line caused by foods. At this small out-of-the-way station he was surprised at being accosted by some young men of his own nationality, who were students at Shanghai. It was the example of patriotism and determination that these students show that the General It would impress upon the stay-at-homes. appears that the young men are at sobool in Shanghai with the object of getting a commercial training that will fit them for a business life in China. Instead of spending the summer vacation in slothful ease at home, they
themselves out as natives of the Middle Kingdom and so went abroad in the interior, studying the people aut the products of different districts.
Tls. 0,2
dressed of opium daily would consume 168,355 Taels daily leaving 662,943 Taels for consumption by more moderate smokers. Suppose for the sake of argument these are averaged at half the amount daily or Taels 0.1 we shall obtain a total of smokers of both classes of some seven and a half millions of opium smokers,
THE SUMMER RAINS,
After the wet season we invariably get it wet here. What is officially considered as the wet This will give a proportion of 15 per cent of season is not generally remarkable for a heavy the male population over 15 years of age. If rainfall, but you can rely upon it in August, this argoment is carried to a rational conclusion especially if you are out for a holiday. It has and the proportion of breadwinners and fathers now been raining with more or less severity for of families only be taken it will be found that a week past. A walk through the country the number of persons addicted to the opium reveals acre upon sore of rained vegetables, but habit, who are really only pertinent to such an unless the rainfall is exceptionally severe, lead- enquiry, will form an infinitely greater pering to extensive floods, as last year, the rice centage than can be shown by any European country in the case of alcohol
does not suffer much. Talking about rain reminds one of Dr. Kock, who seems to have
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.