Yo the Editor of the "Norru-Cutsa Dairy News."
Ir. Dudgeon in his remarks the to the China Association, when giving the n the substance of the proposed new British Treaty with China, invited comments on the Treaty, and L venture therefore to make a few comments on it from the point of view of the ordinary British resident in China.
With regard to the surtax of 7! per cent which it is proposed should be imposed on goods imported into China by way of compensation for the promised removal of that venerable Chinese bogey likin, I gather that this surtax is to be imposed, not merely on piece goods and other similar goods which, notwithstand-the existing Treaties with Eh present have to bear Tiki all foreign goerly of ey that is to say, the unfortu resident in China will, if the Treaty ly signed, have to pay no less than 12!" per cent not only on wines, spirits, beer and tobacco, which may "be regarded {tuxuries, but on the actual necessaries of ife suck as flour, tinned meats and provisions, clothing, medicine, hooks, ete., most if not all of which articles it must be remembered used to come in duty free. An entirely uew burden in the shape of excise duty is also to be imposed by the new Treaty.
Section 9 of Article % of the Treaty, provides for the imposition and collection by the Customs officials of an excise duty equivalent to double the import duty, as laid down in the Protocol of 1901 (say 10 per cent), on all machine made yarn or cloth manufactured in China. The same section also provides that." the same priaciple and procedure is to be applied to all other products of foreign typo turned out by machinery whether by foreigners or Chinese." Some explanation seems to be required as what articles are intended to be included under this clause.
Although the manufacturing industry may be said to be as yet in its infancy anghai, there are already many pro-sot a foreign typo turned out by j machinery in Shanghai; machine made ice, the electric light, gas, machines and tools manufactured by, say, Farnham and Ca. Acquarius and other aerated waters may all, in a senso, be said to be products of a foreign type turned out by machinery.
Is an excise duty of 10 per cent to be imposed on all these products?
It is presumed that the imposition of an excise duty will necessarily carry with it the rights of the Chinese Customs officials to supervise the manufacture of all sue foreign products, and also the right to spect the manufacturers' books from time to time, as otherwise it is difficult to see how this duty is to be collected.
There is one Article in the Treaty which seems to call for the attention of the China Association. The Article I refer to is Article 12, which provides that when China shall reformed her ete., Great Britain will take into coitsideration the question of abolition of extraterritoriality.
reform of the laws of China is no doubt wanted badly enough, but what is wanted much more is a change in the nature of those who have to administer them, but how this is fo be effected I do not know. I suppose we shall be told {that we need not be alarmed by this Clause, as it will be quite ineffective and docs not mean anything. I can hardly imagine that the British Commissioners can have conceived it possible that British subjects in China would, under any circumstances, consent to he' place under the jurisdiction of Chinese. mandarins, however perfect a code of laws the Chinese Empire may have in the future 5 if so, what is the use of allowing such a Clause to be inserted in the Treaty? will only create false hopes and aspirations in the minds of Chinese officials, and will be sure to give rise to trouble in the future, is the unexpected which usually is pens, and it is quite conceivable there= fore that the Chinese authorities may for once honestly carry out their treaty gations, and if so, some of the wealthy turers of Manchester or Bradford presumably it by the new it seems to me that what with the very ditional duties ho will have to and the possibility at som" future time of being placed under the jurisdiction of Chinese mandarins, his position will be worse under the proposed new Treaty than it way before.
The Chinese authorities, as usual, seem to have got the best of the deal all round, Tam, ete C. Hassox.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.