Wednesday night, 1, Yuen-ming-yuen Road, the annual meeting was held of the American Association of China. Mr. F.
Ball (President) occupied the chair, and there was a large attendance of members.
The Secretary having read the notice convening the meeting, and the minutes of the Inst annual meeting, which were signed by the Chairman, with the approval of the meetin; The Chairman said—On behalf of the Committee I now have the pleasure of making a brief report of the proceedings of the past year, In April last we had the misfortune to lose by death Mr. C. C. Bennett, our treasurer. Mr. Bennett had een connected with the Association since
keenest interest in its progress. Mr. it i felt. the Bennett was a loyal American citizen of sterting character and high business integrity. By death the Association" has Jost'a valuable member. The vacancy the Committee thus caused was filled by the election of Mr. J. S. Fearon, one the organisers of the Association here. We! also have to record the death of Capt. Bisbee, Coast Inspector and Harbour Master of Shanghai. Capt. Bisbee for many years occupied these responsible positions with conspicuous merit. The news of Preside: McKinley's assassination came to us as a great shock. All nationalities joined in their condolence in our national calamity, and for these kind expressions we are Very grateful. A general meeting was called under the auspices of our Association to frame suitable osages to send to Mrs, McKinley and President Roosevelt. It is " fortunate circumstance that the mantle of the presidency should fall tunately, however, the Powers have not secured the elimination of the likin and arious illicit exactions varying in different districts. These extortionate charges hamper and will continue to hamper foreign trade in China so long as they are permitted t" exist. A reform in the likin involves a radical change of the whole fon such a worthy successor as we fe 11] fiscal system of the Government, It is President Roosevelt to be. It is with fully recognised that the Chinese Govern-great pleasure that I announce the coniment, both central and provincial, requires tinual increase in our membership. We an adequate source of income, and there now have on our roll 76 resident members could be no reasonable objection to' a and 32 non-residents, and we trust that uniform system of internal revenue to these figures will be' materially increased provide for this in part. 'The present inthe next twelve months. When the method! used in' collecting likin is> one Association met ayeer ayo, Cama was just, which cannot be too strongly condemned. recovering from one ut the greatest and There is absolutely no reason or justice in most unique upheavals of mi i [the fact that goods which have already The horror and excitement of last year paid import duty and internal transit dues over and the reaction directly resulting should be subjected to likin, not only in must now be followed by conscientious every province but: several times in each work on the part of both foreigners a pro} ough whit they pass, before Chinese, in instituting necessary reforms for the welfare and consolidation of the empire, and to prevent a recurrence of the previous troubles. Our journals for the year will conten the various questions Drought up before your Committee. The most important feature of the past year has been the signing of the Protocol." As the terms of the Protocol are well-known it will be needless for me to fully discuss them here. China will have to face a big indebtedness, and as one of the means of raising revenue to pay off the yearly interest and liquidate her liabilities, Article No. 6 of the Protocol provides for an increase lin duty to an effective 5 per cent. Unfor-reaching their ultimate destination. Under existing conditions it is very difficult to suggest' a remedy, and until China recognised that reform in these matters will be more beneficial to herself than to any other nation we can expect a change. It is to be hoped, however, that. the Commissioners' of the various Powers in drawing their commercial treaties w.th China wi devote most careful.ttention to this question, which is so vitally important to the interests of both foreign and Chinese trade, and that they will lieable to impress upon the Chinese Government the necessity for early action tending. to rectify the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.