April 12, 1909.]
the
for
not
SLAVE TRAFFIC IN
HONGKONG,
-295
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.| large falling off in the revenues of the go- in fact made to British financiers for a loan vernment derived from the Customs, and but the guarantees offered by China were the consequent increase of taxation from not deemed good enough to enable the other sources at a time when "the country negociations to be successfully carried cannot stand the increase in view of the through. It has since been stated that the fact that
(Daily Press, 8th April.)* the economic conditions are loan has been offered by the Deutsche- worse than they have ever been." The Asiatische Bank. The references in to-day's are wout to refer with pride to Hongkong When the patrotic feelings are stirred we object of the rider to the hostile resolution.telegram to the Convention of 1905; and to is declared to be simply "to keep before the
as the farthest outpost of the Empire, and a protest to be entered by the British and incidentally we may be led to speak of the minds of the American people the desire of French groups against China concluding blessings and advantages the people of the Philippines for the inde-
which have a loan without previously advising the followed our stay here. Few will cavil ́at pendence of their country." A Committee British Government seems to refer specifi the statement of these. They are very delegated to lay before the Philippine cally to this particular railway loan, though apparent and cannot be gainsaid. But we Commission the objections of the Assembly it is not obvious what locus standi the French have not by any means reached the goal of to the proposal appears to have failed to financiers have in the matter other than endeavour. We have many evils to check; secure the endorsement of the Commission, the interest which they possess in common and the Assembly therefore proposes to with every prospective bondholder in seeing none more clamant than the trafficking in we have many abuses to remedy. And appeal direct to Washington through its that China honourably abides by the agree special represenative at Congress. It strikes ments she has entered into.
human beings which still continues, more Doubtless the the outsider as very extraordinary thắt the recent scathing indictment of the work on
or less openly, in the colony. leaders of opinion among the natives of
Of late we have felt in Hongkong the on the Shanghai-Hangchow-Ningpo Rai influence of purists at home. the islands should have only now discovered
Public way sent to the Times by Dr. MORRISON, consciousness has been roused to rather objections to a proposal which has been has caused investors in Chinese bonds a good precipitate action by lurid pictures of opium prominently before the country for several deal of anxiety. British investors lent China dens and their wretched patrons, but what years. When petitions were being signed £1,500,000 for this railway, and Dr. Mor would be thought in Great Britain were it in July last in all the principal cities of the RISON informed them that the loan condi-known that even under the "flag of the Archipelago in favour of mutual free trade tions have been violated, that the loan brave and the free" there obtains a system between the islands and the United States funds are being squandered and the interests of buying and selling women and children, no voice of protest that we can remember of the bondholders jeopardised. As a matter aye, and occasionally men, which cannot be made itself beard. Therefore, at this late of fact, however, the hondholders in this distinguished from slavery? We are all hour, the news that the Filipino Assembly, particular case are not likely to suffer, for, and the native chambers of commerce are
aware of this in Hongkong, but the fact is as a correspondent has since pointed out in opposing the measure must come as a great the Times, this loan,
so startling as it once was, because which requires familiarity with the distressing circum- surprise to the Washington legislature. an annual service of £75,000 for the stances have somewhat dulled pur suscepti Whether the economic reasons now adduced next nine years is secured by a first bilities. That such a state of affairs should against the measure are sound or not, there charge on the surplus earnings of the be found in a British colony does not will certainly be a disposition to regard this Imperial Railways of North China. conform to the generally accepted British sudden change of opinion as dictated by the For the year 1907 those surplus eard ideas as to the liberty of the subject, and were political consideration embodied in the rider ings amounted to £379,000, and until greater thought given to the fact that human to the resolution passed by the Assembly the first charge due to the Ningpo bond-beings are daily bought and sold in Hong- against the proposal. At any rate it seems holders had been paid into the Hongkong kong it is not difficult to anticipate the too late in the day now to be advancing and Shanghai Blank, the balance carnings outcry which would be raised by the good economic objections against a proposal were not available for the purposes of the folks at home, though if they succeeded in which has so long been advocated without Government. Therefore in this particular inducing the logal authorities to take any indication of strong opposition, and it
case the bondholders have little need to be additional measures to remove this re- certainly does not enhance the world's res- alarmed, but the way in which this loan of proach their efforts would not perhaps oc- pect for the capacity of the Filipinos for £1,500,000 has been used must tend to casion so much criticism as those from self-government to learn now that their make prospective investors look very care- which this Colony has recently had causs previous approval of Free trade was due to fully into the details of the security offered to complain. However, that by the way. the misunderstanding that it meant only the for new loans. It is a serious blow to The point is that more might be done to put free importation of the products of the Chine-e credit that a conference of Europein a stop to the practice of trafficking in Philippines into the United States and not bankers convenel to consider a proposed children which gives rise to considerable the free importation of American products international lean to China should have kidnapping even in Hongkong. It is quite into the Philippines.
proved abortive, owing to differences of an everyday occurrence for a boy or a girl opininion regarding the efficiency of the to be reported to the police as missing. On control to be exercised over the employment the face of them, those reports would suggest of the money,
aud that the absence of little beyond some more or less temporary adequate garautees compelled the British family loss, but to those with a knowledge and French groups to withdraw the offers of Chinese life and the many peculiar ways they had made towards the total amount that are inexplicable to the Western mind, required. It seems almost incredible that they speak with eloquence. They reveal the after subscribing to a protocol which lail operations of the unholy trade which flou- down the minimum security necessary for rishes by snatching children from their the proper application of the loan, the Ger- parents and selling them to other Chinese man bankers should have gone back on who put them to a variety of uses. Perhaps that agreement and agreed to lend to it is not common knowledge, but Europeans China the money she requires on terms in charge of educational institutions here which the protocol implies are unsafe. can testify that so great is the dread among the statement stands it is not without con- the better class Chinese of losing their siderable significance, for it would seem to children that they do not allow those of suggest that Britains "sphere of influence tender years to travel to school alone. in China which the Convention of 1905 was Servants have to accompany them to the designed to protect is assailed, and school gates, servants wait for them on leav. the British Government is unlikely to ing school, and on quietly submit.
Ro account must the young people undertake even the shortest selves. Older girls who might be expect- and apparently safest journeys by them.
ed to be able to look after themselves are, also guarded by amahs inasmuch as they offer greater temptations to the kidnapper. We occasionally Hatter ourselves that the individual is as safe in Hongkong as in any city at home, but with these facts before us it is difficult to subscribe to the statement.
FOREIGN LOANS TO CHINA.
Als
(Daily Press, April 7th.) The conference of English, French and German bankers which has been held at Paris to discuss/a proposal for an interna. tional loan to China is one of which it would be very interesting to know a good deal more than the telegrams have told us. Pre- sumably the loan in question is the object of H. E. TANG SHAO TI's visit to Europe. We have not been informed in the telegra- phic dispatches of the amount of the loan China desi es, nor, the purposes for which the money is required, but we may conclude that the loan is required for purpose of accelerating the construction of China's many railway projects. It has long been known that China has been negociating for a loan of some four millions sterling to finance the construction of the Canton-Supreme Court for China against the China An action has been started in H. B. Ms Hankow line. In 1905 when the Hongkong Mutual Life Insurance Company, the plaintiff Government lent he money to China to buy out the original American
a native named Din Lau-sai of Foochow bring conces- ing suit to recover Tls. 15,000 on an insurance sionaires, and others, of this line, one of the policy. By leave of the Court evidence will be terms of the agreement was that if the taken before H.B. M.'s Consul at Foochow, prior Chinese Government desired or required to the case being tried in the Supreme (ourt at foreign capital or assistance, appeal would Shanghai. Messrs. W. S. Fleming and F. . be made to British capitalists. According to Brooks, counsel for the plaintiff, and Mr. Loftus E. P. Jones, representing the defendants, hate reports which have been appearing lately gone to Foochow in connection with the taking in the Chinese newspapers, an appeal was
of evidence on commission.
To understand the causes underlying this practice, the exceptional place which a son occupies in the affections of a father has to
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