The region south of Tienshan, says the Governor of Turkestan, was formerly the home of "large population, But the efforts continually made since the restoration of peace have never succeeded coring it to its pristine condition, the chief reason for this being the way the stupid Mussulmans are plundered by Chinese money Tenders. They only think of their mowentary needs and absolutely disregard the future. Interest is not payable by the year or the month, but on every weekly market day; and for this period five or six per cent. is charged, making twenty per cent. or more per month; while the debt itself is frequently for articles purchased originally at a high rate. Then, the Mahomedans are not good at calculating, and the usurers increase the sums by false additions and heavy discounts. The debtors in murly cases never get free, and_are reduced to selling their wives or' children and turning brigands, The late Governor tried to slop the lending but failed. The usurers are generally old hangers-on of yamens who screen and aid each other. The attack made on the Chinese at Tsufan yenr ago, when thirty-six lives were lost, was due to the sufferings caused and the hatred consequently engendered by these debts, The memorialist thinks that half measures will be no use in dealing with this evil, and the only course is to prevent Tending altogether. "There is a law that a Chinese who lends money tony aborigines, shall be punished under the statute agains trespassing within native frontiers, and the debtor is liable to an equal penalty. The Mahomedans #f Turkestan are in much the same condition as Miaotze and other aborigines, so that the law might be extended "to include them also. The memorialist would not make its application retrospective. But he would propose that, in the case of already existing debts, the local authorities should order the lenders to put in an exact statement of their claims, The circumstances of each claim would than be considered. Where no large sums have been received as interest, the principal and accrued interest should be cleared off together by payments of three percent. per month. Where the interest already receiv. ed exceeded the original principal, only the latter should be repaid. Where interest had been charged upon interest, and the debtor is very poor, the whole debt should be wiped off. Two months might be given to the magistrates within which to make these arrangements. After that date the making of loans will become a punishable offence, and the magistrates who fail to suppress it will be exposed to the infliction of a penalty.—Referred to the Board of Punishments.
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Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.