August 7, 1909.]
but is now lost among a host of almost irresponsible underlings.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE TRADE OF HONGKONG.
115
of $180,000 for dredging the harbour at (Daily Press, August 5th.)
Macuo-a work which, if it is to be done Hongkong being a free port, no reliable properly, will cost, perhaps, a few millions. statistics can be furnished regarding the We have already pointed out that $180,000 value of the trade of the port, nor is it only exceeds by ten thousand dollars the cost possible to furnish reliable information of of the dredger "St. Enoch," which the the tonnage of imports and exports. The Hongkong Government bought at second- Harbour Master, iu his annual reports, rind for dredging the sit of the new does his best to supply the latter informatyphoon shelter at Mongkoktsui. That is all tion, but be plainly states at the outset that need be said to show that, with so that "there are no reliable statistics of either paltry a vote for such an undertaking, imports or exports except as regards certain nothing but a little tinkering at the job is items of cargo dealt with in the Colony, of to be expected. Possibly when the present which either from their nature and the negotiations with Chiua for the delimit- circumstances under which they are
ation of the boundaries of the Colony are inported, or from the fact that concluded and settled to Portugal's they are required by law to be satisfaction, appropriations more com. specially reported, substantially accurate ensurate with the importance of returns
can be given." The Harbour the undertaking may be anticipated. Master calculates that imports during. It is greatly. to be regretted that
per cent.
་
Governor ROCADAS who lus worked so hard to get this improvement scheme in train should be at this juncture trans. ferred to another field of activity. All who are acquainted with His Excellency's work during the short time he has been in Macao cordially congratulate him on his promotion, but they canuot but view his earture from Mano at the present time with keen regret as it may not improbably entail further delay in the actual mencement of operations until at least bis successor has had time to study the
situation.
CAPITAL AND LABOUR.
(Daily Press, August 6th)
com.
some.
A system of transit dues, if properly con- ducted, is not in itself open to objection, and it may indeed form a perfectly legitimate and valuable source of revenue. From its nature, however, such a form of taxation is Topen to serious abuse unless it is carefully supervised by those in authority, and kept strictly under their control. Unfortunately in China, precisely the opposite principle is adopted; and the system of farming such taxes which is resorted to opens the door to a variety of abuses, which need not neces- sarily attach to the levy of transit dues, if only they are under proper control. It has always been so fully recognised that transit dues should form part of the Provincial revenues that it must be a difficult thing for the Central Authorities at Peking to interfere in such a matter. The answer
the year 1908 showed a decrease in tonuage of any Provincial Authority whose revenue
of 44 per cent, as compared with the figures may be in this way threatened 18 for 1907; the exports a decrease of 10.7 naturally that if he is interfered with in
per cent, while transit cargo declined 0.7 collecting his own taxes he cannot be ex-
With these figures in mind it pected to preserve order in his district and struck us as noteworthy, when glancing this is an argument which will always have through the Abstract of Statistics just very great weight with the Peking officials, published by the Chinese Imperial Maritime who are most anxious to throw upon the Customs, to find that in 1998 the total Provincial Authorities the re-ponsibility of value of the trade between Hongkong and maintaining the peace and quiet of the China had only been exceeded once in the Provinces immediately under their control. past eight years, namely, in 1907, when the
It cannot, therefore, be ignored that even
total trade was nearly 253 million Haikwan to reform the likin system-not to mentals, while last year it was roughly ten tion its total abolition—a system which million taels less, and was still more than ten is of immemorial standing in China, million taels in excess of the highest figures is no easy task--and certainly before rail for any previous year hack to 1901. The ways were introduced it seemed to most
value of imports from Hongkong into China people who had occasion to give any atten- is returned at Tls. 150,252,300, ar] It might be well if those who make it their tion to the subject, au impossible one. At the exports from China to Hongkong at the same time it cannot be overlooked that, T. 92,107,963-giving a total of Tls.
business to encourage working men at Home to use any and every means to increase the at least for some time after the conclusion 242,360,263, or, roughly, about £30,000,000 amount of payment for labour-even to the of the Treaty of Tientsin (which provided sterling. We are able to make a com. extent of diminishing the capabilities of that Transit Dues on foreign imports should parison with the direct foreign trade capital-to take a warning from be commuted for in full by a payment of of Shanghai by consulting another table weighty observations which were made by half the tariff import dues), the likin dues in this facicule of the Customs Reports. Mr. MACKENZIE KING, who was a represent- were to this extent done away with. Later, We find the value of the direct foreign ative at the Opium Trade Conference at no doubt, means were found by Chinese trade of Shanghai in 1908 was just Shanghai, on his return to Canada. The ingenuity of practically re-imposing them,
upon 303 million taels, or sixty-one millions remarks were published at the time, but and very much less advantage was gaine! by in excess of the value of Hongkong's trade they scarcely seem to have attracted the the arrangement for commutation than bad
with China. We note also that the return attention which they deserve. After speak- been expected. But what was bona fide for Shanghai showed a decline of about ing of the question of Asiatic Immigration, done for at least a short time is sufficient twenty-one million tacls compared with which was naturally that upon which the to show that, even under the old couditions the figures for 1907. But whether Canadians were most desirous to hear his --that is, before railways were thought of in Shanghai is really a higger emporium views, be expressed his opinion that so far China-the Central Authorities were strong of trade than Hongkong caunot be de as immigration from the East was concerned enough to control the Provincial officials in
termined by the figures we have quoted the wiser counsels of conciliation and this matter, if only the Peking officials chose from the Reports of the Imperial moderation which have of late prevailed to exert their power. This fact certainly Maritime Customs. Hongkong is the would be sufficient to overcome difficulties encourages the idea that if the matter were distributing centre for other countries in this direction; but he went on to say seriously taken in hand by the Central hesides China, nod we have to bear this in that the real peril which has to be faced, in Government a means of adjusting it mind in forming an approximate idea of the present day, was not in the possible to the satisfaction both of the Capital the value of the trade of the port. When movement of labour from Asia, but "the and of the Provinces could be arrived
almost certain movement of capital, not at. What would seem to be wanted, if
only from America, but from Europe also, abolition is impossible, is that the
to Asia, once the industrial possibilities of whole likin system should be placed under
that continent became better known, and a direct Central control, and that an arrange. ment should be made as to the proportion
greater degree of stability and security of investment was afforded." In this he of the dues which should go to the Central and the Provincial Governments respec-
brings to notic, in a very practical shape, the danger which is unfortunately so much tively. Such a scheme would not be beyond
overlooked by those who hold that the one the powers of the Chinese, if once it were
way to benefit the working classes in Eng- taken seriously in hand, and the change in
land is to increase their rate of pay. It is the means of inter-communication now being
overlooked by them that any artificial effected by means of railways would greatly
action of this nature must of necessity be facilitate a task which might well seem
only of a temporary and limited character, almost impossible under the old and primi
and that the amount of pay which can be tive means of transit and might more
given to workmen of any kind must, like speedily effect the very desirable change
everything else, he dependent, in the long promised in the MACKAY Treaty.
run, upon the simple question of supply and demand. It is forgotten that if the wages of the working men in a given country are artificially increased, the inevitable result must be that by degrees the very work upon which they are dependent will be forced away to some other country where labour is
With regard to the imposition of three new taxes on foreigners living outside the treaty limits in Korea the Foreign Consular Body at Seoul recently held a consultation and have in- formed the Residency-General that they see no objection to the new departure.
we
see that the trade with China alone
exceeds £30,000,000 annually, the comput- ation that the total trade of the port is worth about twice that sum is probably not far wrong.
"
THE MACAO IMPROVEMENT
SCHEME.
|
(Ddily Press, August 5th.) A Portuguese correspondent writes to us lamenting that the Government of Macao should be wasting the money allocated for harbour improvements in sending officials to Shanghai to inspect and to purchase toy-dredgers" for શ work of such magnitude. It is suggested in our correspondent's letter that the work would be much better and much sooner done if it were put out to contract instead of being done departmentally. Our Macao corres. poudent said the same thing a couple of months ago. There has been a great deal of trumpetting over the allocation of a sum
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