(1) The original intention of the Government in creating and establishing various grades of officials and offices was to make each perform certain duties allotted to it. But with time these became corrupted and
each administration, things have become so no notice being taken of the vies pervading bad that reform is now imperative. Of late we have been repeatedly receiving memorials from all manner of officials advocating either retrenchment in the expenses or abolition of a number of departments both within and without the capital. Although it would not be prudent to grant all the suggestions thus made, still, we are of opinion that there awesome departments which strongly need something done to them, and as we are now on the road to reform we must inaugurate only such measures as to us would seem actually needed and in the interests of the general whole. Furthermore it seems right. that all old departments which are superfluous nowadays and absorb precious revenue must give way to such new measures which the exigencies of modern Government demand, For instance, such departments as the Supervisorate of Instruction of the Heir Apparent—it is only a sinecure and has, no duties for those connected therewith, Then there are the Ottice of Tfansmission for Imperial edicts, ete., the Court of Banquets, the Court of State Ceremonial, the Court of the Imperial Stud (Mastership of Horse and subordinates), and the Court of Revision all the duties connected with these departments are not only slight but more than half of them are superfluous, having the name but not the substance. We, therefore, hereby command that the above departments be forthwith abolished and their nominal duties be amalgamated with the Grand Secretariat, the Boards of Rites and of War.
Again, as regards the provinces of Chihli, Kan: and Szechuan; these are governed by Viceroys who also do the duties of Governors, while such provinces as Kuangtung, Hupeh, and Yunnan have both Viceroys and Governors staying in the same pro vineial capitals. Further, the conservation of the Easter portion of the Yellow River is attended to by the Governor of Shantung, but the other portion of the said River is under the Director-General of the Yellow River, a duty which can well be attended to by the Governor of Honan. The conditions of the present day being unlike those which obtained in days of yore, we hereby command that the posts of the Governor. ships. of Kuangtuny, and the Director-River be forthwith of the three eri perfor in future by their Viceroys and that. the Yellow the.
Governor of Honan, as is done by the Governor of Shantung.
As for the Tribute Rice Transport Department, connected with the various provinces, it would seem that now much rice is transported by sea to Peki and that by the Grand Canal is of limit:
quantity. Furthermore a considerable proportion of this tribute which should be sent by way of the said Grand Canal is now allowed to be given in its money value instead of in kind, which all the more proves the superituity of this Transport Department with its immense staff, Then again we have Central Dis tribution Offices, one for each province, for the distribution of Huaian salt which are doing the work of the now superfluous Salt Gabelle staff. We hereby command that all Grain Taotaiships which have now nothing to do with the transportation of Tribute Rice, and all Salt. Taotaiships which have no. salt-producing districts under their jurisdiction but which only attend to the distribution of imported salt for export to places at a distancy be therefore one and all abolished from this date, and such duties as may have belonged to said Taotaiships shall in future be done by either the Provincial Treasurer or Military Intendant of Circuit of their respective provinces.
Then as to sub-prefects, department magistrates and petty officials whose duties hitherto have been in connection with river conservation and the capture of salt smugglers, without jurisdiction over the soil, they have really had scarcely anything to do, and we therefore command that such officials be examined as to their capacity and their offices either entirely abolished or a proportion retained with a reduced staff as the exigencies of the case demand. Finally the high officials of all the posts abolished by this decree are hereby commanded to await our decree for appointment to other posts. Beyond those already mentioned in this decree whose posts have been this day abolished there are yet others which have also to be either abolished entirely or their numbers reduced. We hereby command the Grand Secretaries and Ministers of the Six Boards to consult in conjunction with the Viceroys and Governors of xovinces concerned upon this matter and make no delay in reporting thereon to us. Let both those in the capital as well as in the provinces work
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.