22nd June.
Ye high excellence of the Customs Service and its brilliant fiscal record make its weal and prospects legitimate subjects of public interest. It is no exaggeration to say that China's destinies increasingly depend on the success of this wonderful organisation it is not only the sheet anchor of the national finances, but the seed bed of every hope of future reform. The abortions known as the 'l'elegraph and Railway services (when under vative care) show how certainly great possibilities_in China become corrupt farces. If China ever hopes to collect a stamp duty, to make her existing Inland Revenve a great reality, she will have to do so by engrafting it on Sir Robert Hart's vigorous stock or by closely following his example.
We need not remind our readers to jof pensions was unacceptable to the {Chinese mind, Tha Ma kuan—tael then ed to 6s. 8d; their morest aggregation made an occasional visit home a negotiable blessing, and rendered retirement at the ago of fifty a probable contingency. The fall of silver now precludes both of these steps not only does it involve present hardship, but by its adverse influence on leave and retirement it has blocked promotion—the certain prelude of a discontent which will slonly but surely undermine the popularity and success of the Service.
We hold neither brief uor inspiration in this matter; the spirit of the Service is adverse to the expression of grievances, It has been organised as a benevolent autocracy and as long as the present distinguished man remains at the head of affairs everyone will approve this fact, An autocracy is not favourable to: the expression of opinion, ihence all the greater reason for active benevolence and unceasing care whose high ability the Service owes on the part of the autocrat. In ils existence. We doubt if, out private hongs and in other branches of India, there is anything in the the Chinese Service arrangements have world like it. It is all but unique been made to mitigate the hardships in the quality of its personnel, in incident to the fall in exchange. the happy combination "of seemingly hut the Customs alone has been be-incompatible elements, in the absence hind the times in a matter of common of friction with which it works, and in fairness is the one fact in its history the splendid results it preinduces. The which does not redound to its credit. wonder grows when we consider that We have some appreciation of the it hus been created by one man under, great difficulties the Inspector-General the constant restrictions of intrigue must have met in his attempts to do and jealousy in high places, and of what is right for his staff. The present secret, opposition.
The world hears salaries seem enormous to the Manchus; little of these, but they are the inevit-, the latter do not understand the ex-able conditions of 'x Chinese—not to. change question; their need of money say diplomatic—environment.
That becomes daily more pressing and inthe Service reflects the character of its demnity operations will soon render creator is one of the chief reasons of its their impecuniosity acute. success but there are others, But why go on thus plagiarising It is because we hold so high an {let us at once confess to our readers opinion of the Service and its Chief we have been deceiving them, and that that we venture to point out what we j all we have written so far is a verbal consider a sure sign of decadence, viz, reproduction of our leading article on the existing rates of pay. All Buro- the 24th of. December, 1895, in which pean effort in the Bast owes its perma-, on public grounds we first broached nent: efficiency to high wages, 'I'he the subject of the grievances of service of the John Company was the the Customs Service, We tive ne worst and most corrupt in the world desire to vaunt our prescience, but as long as low-salaries obtained. Lord attention having been called to our William Bentinck changed. it into past utterances by a correspondent, we the splendid thing we now know ' referred to our files and were struck by be quite frank, we ourselves often red this and always wrote with sone ins; we are only reassured by re fleeting that fair reason and honest advocacy cannot permanently injure any good cause; they at least help to form sound public opinion which in the long run is bound to prevail, But all is well that ends well; our business to-day is congratulation sincere and emphatic quite apart from our own action for good or ill in the agitation, The Service recently memorialised the authorities for a five-shilling tael; something closely approximating to this is to be given, although it will involve considerably over a million taels per annum at an acutely critical time in China's finances, The Imperial Government is to be felicitated on its courage and generosity, if we may apply this latter word to an act which after all is but- one of tardy justice, It will find prompt and beneficent reaction to its policy: the down-grade tendency of the Service will be stopped and increased efficiency which means increased revenue will soon be attained. We congratulate the I-G, He will have the intense pleasure of seeing ré- established that fine esprit de corps and that devotion to himself which were such impressive features of the Service ten years ago: he will again not only secure a high-class entrant, bat will be able to retain without hardship to themselves or. injustice to others men of proved character and ability.
must have cost Sir Robert Hart many a pang to see his fine creation going—well retrograding—from remediable causes. Lastly, we most heartily congratulate the whole staff on the happy issue' out of all their financial troubles. With the -handsome increment of pay it is about to receive, the staff will quickly make up the leeway of many lean years, The reproach of injustice is rolled away, and all the miseries attendant on res augusta domi and on a dark future are at once removed. Guod pay is like good wine, it gladdens the heart of man and renders him of cheerful countenance. hat our friends and neighbours in the Customs will soon be able to assume a more cheerful aspect on this account only it to be by a stroke of the pen: his; the moderation wi which we desir serves them right; and we are heartily famous minute assured the members, with a serious evil.
As far as se] glad their ship has come home at last. that hereafter they would be cashiered know we spontaneously inaugurated for the slightest irregularity; but the the agitation which is now about to be! on THe Broopis tue Lire."—If the same minute for ever removed temptacrowned with success: on May the 18th! tion by raising all salaries to a level
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.