May. Tur old civilisation of China as modified during the last few centuries deserves the careful study of the foreigner, for the present system of local granaries is suited to years of short harvest. Their object is to store up surplus grain against the time of distress which is almost sure to occur at intervals of a few years. The system works beneficially for the people's needs, The system of the official granaries began in the Gth century in the Sui dynasty. The method is called that of ever even prices or chang ping. he granary is called the chang ping tsang or the granary containing rice, wheat, and maize which never varies in price. "This is a taking name for the poor people who dread high prices while they love high wages. The founder was Sui Wen-ti, but, strange to say, despoticashe was, that did not hinder him from introducing reforms, which worked beneficially. The same happened with the builder of the Great Wall, a mun who was still more despotic and possessed of still greater wer. 'I'he system introduced by this despot has lasted for two thousand years because it established the principle that government should be centralized and prefects appointed from the capital. So with Sui Wen-ti. His system of granaries has been to some extent retained ever since. But China is a country where successful or unsuccessful revolutions must be attempted once in every two or three centuries. Dynasties rise and fall; political expedients are tried and experiments of various sorts are made. "There is in Chinese politics consequently a good deal of the survival of the fittest and the granary system' underwent changes Ike other expedients for governing the people efficiently. In fact, it did not become firmly fixed as an institution till the Sung dynasty, that is the latter part of the tenth century. But not then did it take its present form. The granaries are an attempt to protect the people from the rise and fall of prices in the grain market, and especially to secure them from severe scarcity. "We now propose to give a sketch of what a native editor in Shanghai at present thinks about the granary system as compared with railways.
heads his essay with the remark that in equalizing market prices and conveying food to the spot where it is needed, railways are better than local granaries. Local granaries are to guard against scarcity. They are an old institution in China, established in every city to equalise the price of grain to the people. But some voices are heard objecting to this local storing up of grain. What if the grain gets spoiled by damp and vermin? Why not store up copper money instead? In the ten century the Carait tartars were still troublesome on the northern frontier. The ror established the "Fall pole (ying wang) granary," and into this any surplus was put daily. The idea was that as soon as the money reached the height of the pole it was to be used as enlistment money to raise troops against the Tartars. Then followed Wang An-shi, the statesman who in the 11th century recommended a new system, which was adopted. Copper money was on behalf of government lent the people in every city. Interest was charged for it at harvest time. It was called the money of the growing grain, ching miao chien FR POSE. But the writer adds these methods have not attained the end of saving the people from famines. They were found to cause much trouble to the people gnd failed asa remedy against scarcity. The trouble in famines is that drought is widespread and the grain is too far away to reach the starving people. To store up grain in local granaries is therefore a better method. Yet at present it is seen at once that the local granary system is out of date, clumsy, and troublesome. What China wants is the steamer and the railway. Consider the position of the farm labourers. They are the worst off of the different sections of the people. In prosperous years, grain becomes very cheap and that means loss. In years of scarcity grain is very dear and matters are worse still. A_poet has written a piece on the "Return home" which illustrates this.
Once there are railways and steamers, the one dovetailing with the other, and the agricultural problems are solved.
grain is on the spot after a journey of ten days at most.' Food ceases to be either too cheap or too dear by turns. Crafty grain merchants are baffled in their schemes for adding to their wealth from the people's sufferings. The government does not need to pay outs much money for famine relief. 'I'he western kingdoms obtain benefit from the uew system and there is no country in the far west where railways are not made, The western peoples know that to keep old rice in granaries till it spoils is not so economical as to use new rice by conveying it quickly to places where it is required. The price of conveyance is cheapened one-half, and the rapidity of transport, compared with that by mule waggons and sumpter animals, is an incalculable advantage. The reader should take note that in Cochin Chiva the French are beginning to make railways. As to India, railways have been made there for a long time past. The benefit of railways is that a single steamer or railway train can bring food enough to feed many thousand persons. The English are making a railway in Burma from the coast to western Yunnan. Persia has raised money, by.a foreign loan, to construct railways, as a protection to the country in a military sense. In Russia famine has recently covered ten provinces. She has constructed a railway from the western frontier of Chinese Turkestan to the frontier of Europe. She is constructing another from the north of Mongolia 10,000 Zi in length to the Pacific. Tapan's enterprise in railway construction is well known. No opposition exists in Japan in any quarter to this improvement. To have the railways is just now an untold advantage in Russia in view of the famine. But Russia had not sufficient railways, 'I'vo provinces had good harvests, but there was not a railway to take the extra grain away.
Besides, railways pay financially. China spends a large amount on the navy and the wavy cannot pay a dividend. Why should not China therefore expend public money on a department of public works such as railways which would pay well and recoup their cost in-course of time Such is the mode of arguing adopted by native writers of leading articles at the present time.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.