Tue antiquated nature of the fiscal system of China is one of the great obstacles to the progress of the empire. There is hardly a cotutry in the old world in which there is more Home Rale than there is in China, and provineial autonomy, while it minimises the friction incidental to the government of a population of more than two hundred and fifty millions, as long as they are allowed to stand on their ancient way: italily inconvenient when measures of importance affecting the empire as a unit, are to be under. taken, It is this provincial autonomy which, more than anything elec, stands in the way of the inauguration of rai wave, ae it would have delayed ths oo1 struction of trank lines of telegraph, if the people had understood what the telegraph is. It blocks the way when.
a suggestion is made to introduce m of uniform ooinege for the empire; it interferes more considerably than is generally imagined even with the regulation of the great rivers of the empire. We have seen how various Governor-General and Governors re up in orme when it is suggeste to deflect the course of the Yellow River; the carrying-out of the proposal might benefit the empire at large, but it would be @ too unwelcome addition to the provincial autonomy is largely inoreasing the anxieties of the men who are eutrasted with the carrying out of one forms of modern and maintain from the resources of his province he sees no satisfaction in handing over to ® central board at Peking. The irkeomeness of this oh ole is intensified when reform is to applied to the fiscal aystem of China, For here local independence extends much below the Vir yamen, The areas of taxation are small, and every magistrate is attacked by a proposal to centralize the collection Th official who squeeze is not com-that his immediate superior will remember the ciroumstances when he comes to haud in to the exchequer a diminished contribu. tion; he that even after the straw has been denied him, the former tale of bricks will be atill demanded. Even if his excuse is accepted for the part that be paid away to his superior, he will lose the heavy percentage which previously lined his own pockets, without whiolt his legitimate salary would hardly keep his own family alive, and leave nothing for the hungry crowd of expectants and retainers with which old custom surrounds his yamév. This is the rock in the way of the successful working of the new opium article; it will bea grand, and almost an une: coted) triumph for the central govern: ment and Sir Robert Hart if the gaudy Inbels affixed to every ball-of the precious drug, really free these balls from farther taxation in any shape until they reach the consumers' bands, It has been the aim of foreign Ministers for years, who realised that a great expansion of trade was improbable until they had the knowledge, to have the maximum transit daties duties leviable between the treaty port and the inland market, officially stated and determined; but the central government has really never with certainty what those imposts ought to be, or to guaran. too that they shall not be varied somewhere en route, It is with the greatest interest and satisfaction then that we find that, when the necessity ai really regulate th in his province, and can on his orders being obeyed. We refer to the recent arrangements made by ELE. Obang Chi-tung for the relief of trade of the two Kaaug oes. Namberless local exactions levied on the bark way from its native bill in Canton from which it passed to the foreign ship, had reduced the amount coming to the producer to a at which the latter could no longer afford to gather it, The memorial of the Viceroy, who is supposed to be a special Lister of fo ery moderate in tone, but He mentions that the Ct nese Consignees of the bark to foreigners of compounding for the local imparls by taking out transit passes, and it might Lave been expected that he would take the opportunity to lity foreigners for getting such an advantage over the and for combining to lower the price of cassia in Canton. He merely mentions the foote, Lowover, without throwing blame on any one, contenting himself with pointing out that itis the enormous incidental charges, amounting to from three to four hundred per cent on the prime cost of the bark, that ruined the trade. With ons sentence he sweeps all these charges away. Henceforth pay a moderato " growe 7," lo-ti-shui, at the place of production: after thie, it is to be free from all imposts until it reaches Canton, where it will pay the foreign customs' duty, "Fees for issuing pose specting boats, petty barrier da such charges are entirely done away with." These exactions are the breath of life to the small offi all over the country, and it has been held that neither the central nor proial governments dare to stir up such a hornet's rest, as meddling with the perquisites of the petty officials must be. Now we seo that a strong viceroy can do it at one sweep, if he sees that it is necessary, and that in the most turbulent provinces of the empire, Kuangtang and Kuangsi. For eigner Ministers and Chambers of Commerce all over the ports will do well to bear (his precedent in mind for fature us d we cun all congratulate the government on ha: taken another long step towards the centralisation of authority.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.