AN interesting discussion took place in the House of Commons on the 18th of February, which is fully reported in the "Times" of the 19th, on China and Persia, It was opened by Mr. Joseph Walton (Barnsley), who moved the following addition to the Address: "And we humbly represent to your Majesty that it is essential that adequate measures should be taken for the safeguarding and promotion of the commercial and political interests of the British Empire in both China and Persia." This addendum seems a perfectly harmless truism; but it is often seen in the House of Commons that a resolution of that kind is more important for what is does not say than for what it does say. Mr. Walton proceeded to show by statistics that while the foreign trade of China generally is increasing, the British proportion of the whole has declined in recent years, while the proportion of Germany and of Japan has considerably increased. He spoke of the Treaty of Shanghai as one that, if it were reasonably executed, "would prove to be a step in advance as compared with the treaty under which we. previously traded in China." But he doubted whether the abolition of likin would be altogether a reality, and feared that illegal squeezes would still be levied on foreign goods in the interior. Mr. Walton asked Lord Cranborne whether any other Powers had accepted the treaty. "The danger was that other Powers would demand other commercial concessions as a condition of assent, a position difficult to avoid, although the treaty contained a provision against granting such concession." He characterised s"me of the provisions of the new treaty as rather vague, and complained that British railway concessionaires in China did not get as much government support as their competitors of other nationalities do. " Foreign manufacturers and contractors were busily engaged in laying down tail-way in China: but though it had been said concessions to the extent of 2,800 miles of railway hap been made to this country, not a single one of these concession had been finally ratified. This was a most unfortunate position for the greatest rolling stock and. railway plant manufacturing country in the world to occupy." Mr. Walton urged and then defended the action of the the government in view of the fall Government in regurd to Persia in the in silver, to endeavour to secure best Circumlocution Office style. "The some abatement of the Chinese in-house might believe that in dealing demnity. He alluded to the evacua- with the very delicate questions tion of Shanghai, the Mixed Court which undoubtedly presented them-trouble here, and the Russian control selves to the Government in Persia, over the Newchwang Custom-house. 'a hasty policy would be a profound He mentioned how germany had tried mistake, A firm, active, moderate, to best us in the Yangize valley,'temperate policy, and not " hasty and asked for more gunboats on policy, was that which the Govern-the West River. He described the ment desired to pursue." Then he illusoriness of Russia's evacuation of turned to China, He said "that Manchuria, and said that "the ques- {during the troubles in China in the tion of importance to us asa nation last few years the proportion of was how far our treaty rights and/British trade to other trade had privileges were going to be upheld {hardly diminished at all." Then he in Manchuria, and whether any steps had been taken by the Government to preserve them." Mr. Walton then switched off to Persia, a subject which he has studied a thoroughly as he has the China question; but that is another story.
Mr. Caldwell (Lanark, Mid) seconded the amendment with a few unimportant remarks; and was followed by that very able independent critic Mr. Gibson Bowles (King's Lynn), who began by saying that the history of China was a very discreditable one to England, and much more discredit able to the allies of England, and especially to Germany. Then he switched off to Persia, He was followed by Mr. Keswick (Surrey, Epsom), whose remarks as far as they dealt with China may be reproduced in full:—
Mr. Keswick said the statements which were constantly being made as to the decline of our trade with the East were not entirely correct. Statistics proved that the volume of our commerce with the Far East had not diminished; but what had happened was that we had not been able to maintain that percentage of the entire} trade—tho enormous increase of which was one of the features of recent times—which was ours before foreign competition began. He did not believe that our people were less enterprising, less energetic, or! less desirous of accumulating fortunes than our forefathers; nor did he think that there had been any falling-off in the desire of the mercantile community to promote the interests of the country while advancing their own individual interests. He regarded the recent commercial treaty between this country and China as most valuable in the interests of our trade. As to Weihaiwei, he should deeply deplore its abandonment, for he regarded it as a most important position. He did not mean! that money should be spent upon it immediately, but it was well to possess and to be able to make it an important; naval or military station at any time, if necessary.
Lerd Cranborne, in his reply, began by thanking Mr. Keswick for his reassuring remarks and for his ap-; proval of the Treaty of Shanghai, owned that German trade had increased from 3 per cent to 17 per cent of the whole; but he did not explain -how he reconciled these two statements, The Government, he said, relied upon the other commercial Powers accepting Article VIII of the Treaty of Shanghai, when they realised what an improvement it introduced; on which a member asked: "Have any of the Powers accepted it?" Lord Uran-borne said " he thought that no other Power had as yet accepted the commercial treaty," and incontinently dropped the subject. He went on to say that we bad no great reason to complain about the Custom-house at Newchwang, the duties being still collected by Sir Robert Hart's men. He said that Lord Lansdowne had brought us out all right in the matter of the evacuation of Shanghai. The Chinese Government had assured na that their premixes to Germany should not prejudice in any way our rights in the Yangize Valley, "so that if we differ from Germany, as Powers do differ from time to time, we have no reason to be in any way displeased with the results of these circumstances as they turned out in November of last year." He explained the modus vivendi agreed upon in reference to the Mixed Court here; and then passed to the question of the indemnity, as to which he said that our Government must insist upon its being recognised as a gold debt, but would willingly give China time to pay. As regards Weibniwei, it was not wanted as a naval base since the alliance with Japan, He wound up by saying that the Government "had attempted in their Chinese policy, in the same spirit as in their Persian policy, to study the interests of their ce entry with moderation and and they believed that on the whole they had deserved, and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.