Annual General Meeting: Melancholy Story of the Trademark Dispute: The Coming Tariff Revision Conference: Merchants Claim to Be Heard wal general meeting of and, I think, to go on recording the British Chamber of Commerce rhat_much of the: ime and duties took place on Thursday at the Jef the Chinese Maritime Customs Shanghai Club, when the following, staff is devoted to taxation of goods were elected to serve on the Com-Jciveulating in China itself, a heavy mittee for the ensuing year:—incubus on trade which, under a Messrs. H, E, Arnhold (Arnhold enlightened fiscal system, Ca., Ld.), C. M, G, Burnie (Yang-would be promptly abolished. raze Insurance Association, Ld.), Leslie (Asiatic Petroleum Ca.
Customs Tar [N.C] Ld.), H. W. Lester (Dodwel A matter on which I ought to Ca, Ld.), C.'G. 8. Mackie (Gibb, Livingston & Ca., Ld.), Brig. Gen ouch Is a letter which wg received Commissioner ithe before M, Macnaghten, C. M.'G,, D. S. annual meeting in regard (British-American "Tobacco Co.|t the next tariff revision, which, [China] La), P.W. Massey (Holyoak, as you know is due to take place Massey & Ca, 1926. Mr. Lyall pointed out that as the tariff, when next revise ed, would remain in force for seven Sheppard (Jardine, Mutheson & Ca. years it was important that it 1a), T. H.R. Shaw (Butterfield should be framed on satisfactory Swire), G. H. Stitt (Hongkong ines, especially as in addition to Shanghai Banking Corporation). the 5 per cent. now levied, it was Tt was known that the Chairman probable that another 24 per eentproposed to deal with the trademark would be added on all goods and a question and that he would have further levy not exceeding 24 per important announcement to cent. on luxuries, He went on to anake. The meeting was according-state that some years ago the ly exceptionally well attend German tariff on cotton piece goods was based on so many marks per of the past year's negotiation W. Sheppard told the history 100 kilos, all that was necessary 4 rent detail. "His statement. was' a {!9 ascertain what each piece of model of lucidity and was listened cloth had to pay being to weigh to with the very greatest. interest. square metre of it and to count Unfortunately, the whole of it was the threads in it. 'The introduction confidential and we are not, there. in China, he added, of a tariff based fore in a position to reproduce it. on the same principles but with 'A copy: of it can, however, we the necessary changes in we understand, be seen' at the Chai measures, would greatly ber's offices by members who were prevented from being present.
Pity the work of the next Tariff Commission.
The story, those who heard it will We passed this suggestion on to agree, jas' not, to put it mild [Manchester who took a considerable Indeed, it threw time to reply, but when they did conduct of the tehdemark negotieting light on the! answer they answered most em-
tions in Peking. phatically—Tha-members_ of the China Haveative Commitee, Turning to other subjects the said, were very strong in voicing their objection to any change being Shanghai Harbour made in the method of arriving at values for Customs purposes. Our Under the heading of Shanghai own Piece Goods Marbour the principal matter to be and your General Committee agree recorded is the consent of the Ins with Manchester sector-General of Customs to in-Piece Goods crease the permanent expenditure on the River Police by a further I shall deal presently with the sum of Tls. 60,000 per annum. This 24 per cent. surtax, but as I have has enabled the staff to be raised Just touched on one piece goods ty a total of 57, including 16 for-question it is convenient to deal eign constables, "nine foreign ser-with two others.
The first is the one Inspector and one standard contract, our last six steam annual meeting the contract fon the eve of being printed sampans:
This increase fsued.
Thi tone towards ioxee, though it fal Some Grms wwe asked for, is very welcome, and are using has undoubtedly improved condi- It tions in the harbour very consider-should be used as generally as pos sible and there is no doubt that if ere used by everybody this Shanghai Harbour Scheme section of the import trade would The Soochow Creek cannot be placed on a sounder basis than said to show any permanent. imit has been in the past. provement. There has, it is tru Another piece goods question that Treen Tess congestion, bit no satis: attention has been factory solution of the preservation Jour half yearly returns of stocks: of this important trade artery: will As you a he arrived at until it is placed] returns, through no fault of the probably these tinder the control of the Whangpoo|¢ Chamber, are not accurate: they Conservancy Board. nve not accurate because some of The Commission of Engineers cur members and some of the mem. which were got out in 1921 at ers of other Chambers, do not send srveat expense to the community in their figures. Some, made, as you already know, recom-]do not think it worth while to send mendations for improvement of the: lem in: others do not send them Harbour facilities of Shanghai and under the mistaken inipression approaches. thereto, but. beyond a hat they can be seen by members sartain increase in' mooring. accom-'oF the Piece Goods Sub-Comi mittee modation, their views and those of are not. therefore, confidential. the various Chambers interested As a matter of fact the only per-have not been given effect to. The sons who see the figures are the portance of the subject warrants members of the Chamber's.
being: steadily pressed on the However, to make them still attention of our own Authorities! more confidential, it is now pro-and through them on the Chinese!) posed that each Chamber shall issue Government. retwen-forms under serial numtage Tariff.—This also ime}! lers. We shall get from her portant question has occupied our Chambers only the totals of the intention during the year under figures they receive, while our own review but as it is mainly in the] embers will be requested "not hands of the General Chamber,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.