the Ealitor of the "Nontu-Cutsa Datey News."
$in,—We are informed by Reuter that, in the course of a long debate in the Hey of Commons, Me. Brodrick joseph Walton said ase of railway concessions had been obtained, hut no work had been done. He said China was justified 1 requiring some substantial progress.
On reading the above, I wondered where I had met with a similar story before. There was something strangely familiar in the picture of abeneticent providence, seated in dignitied state, extending concessions to needy applicants, anxious only that these should be duly improved, and deeply:
ery case of neglect. At last I got the gospels over We read there that a certain noble-us, and funds which he desired them to occupy and This they all did, with the excep wick a man who justified in requiring some substantial progress" called him to account, was properly and severely punished.
Incredible as it may appear to those of us who have our business in this country, and know something about it from personal experience, there can be no manuel doubt but' the the home official mind regards the Chi Concessions question. British merchants in general, and concession-holders in particular, are constantly being blamed by Lord Salisbury and those in office under him because, either from apathy, ignorance or cussedness, they fail to lake advantage of the splendid opportunities which good old China, at the instigation of a paternal British Government, so freely places in their way. They are all wicked servants," but the blame is not jus Concessions are of various sorts. There are railway coucdssions, mining concessions, inland navigation' concessions, concessions of new ports, etc., ete, With regard to the great majority of these, it may be truthfully said that no substantial regress is being made in the way of turn-them to good account, Whose is the fault? With all deference to their various Excellencies, foreign and native, I venture to assert it is not the merchant's. In proof of this I would adduce the case of the grent concession of the opening of Hunan to foreign commerce by means of the new port at Chenglin. This is dealt with in the Daily News of March 29th, where we read:—* What is in many Tespecis the finest province in China, inhabited by some twenty millions of the best men in China, is now practically thrown open, and it remains for foreign merchants to take every advantage they can of the opportunity. If a large trade does not soon spring up with Hunan, it will be the fault of the want of enterprise on the part of foreigners."
Now the port of Chenglin has been open for four months, and yet not a single foreign merchant has settled there. The Imperial Customs have collected no money, and although foreign steamers pass it on the way to Ichung almost every other day, it is quite the exception for them to take the trouble to call in, and why? The fault of want of enterprise on the part of foreigners? By no means.
Suppose that a merchant, anxious to push trade in Hunan, set-up at Chenglin, his first enquiry, whether he wishes to buy or sell, would be where are the customers? It is only a little town with few inhabitants, and those of the poorer class. Were every spare cash they possess to pass into the merchant's pocket the total sum would not pay his running expenses. As to buying: there is nothing to be found for sale save a few piculs of rice, and the ordinary domestic utensils used in the cooking and eating of it. But perhaps traders will come from the interior? Perhaps they will, but perhaps also, and more, ly, they will continue their journey down river to the larger market of Hankow, as they have hitherto been accustomed to do. At all events, to stand patiently on the banks of the Yang. (zo, day after day, like a fishing egret on on leg, in the hope that an occasional now may come in his way, is not the ind of enterprise the British merchant cares for, and those who expect him to do it will be disappointed.
But perhaps the merchant will be able to travel from Chenglin and trade in the great cities in the interior of the province? In that case Chenglin would be ageless, as the travelling could boequally welldonefrom Hankow, or any other point. Asa matter of fact, however, this method is rot at present feasible, and if it were, it would not be permitted by the authorities, as being against the treaty, and entirely without excuse now thata Hunan port has been specially provided for the purpose of foreign trading.
Lastly, there is the question of Chenglin a transhipment depst. To quote again from the Daily News:—Tho natural course would seem to be that the new port of Chenglin, or Yochow as it is officially called, should be the depdt.from which large, light-draught steamers should run with passengers and goods up the Siang river. A likin station has been established. within a hundred yards of the Custom House at Chenglin, and goods have only to be cleared at that station to be free from any stoppage or exaction of any kind to beyond Siangtan. This is a very notable
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.