From Ove Own Peking, Oct. 26
In 1866 these treaties were The special Customs Conference opened at 10 o'clock this morning the Chujentang. in the Winter Palace. 'The palace, which was fo merly the meeting place of Presi dent Yuan Shih-kal's Council of State, had been swept and garnishced for the occasion and was lavishly decorated with the flags of the Powers. All the' streets leading to the venue were guarded with soldiers, all but the persons attending the opening ceremony being exclude ed from the main thoroughfares.
After Marshal Tuan Chi-jui had welcomed the delegates, Mr. Shen Tui-ting was elected chairman and called on Dr. Wang to. present China's case for tariff autonomy.
'Adopting American tactics at the Washington Conference, China was not content with felicitations, but put her cards on the table' immediately after the formalities had been gone through. Dr. C. T. Wang was chosen for the task and he outlined the case for tariff autonomy with just a passing reference to the Washington Conference provisions.
The Open Mouth In brief, the ced for an immediate' interim surtax of five per cent., bringing China's tariff up to 10 per cent. with special allow: ances up to 80 per cent. on luxuries Tu addition, China requested im. mediate recognition of the right to fix beg own tariff but allowed that fenforgement should not come int fffeet"imtl the year 1029 and thet only simultaneously with the abolition of likin, The other feature of th ceremon} the Japanese delegation of an alternative scheme of interim provisions until tariff autonomy was conceded. The details of the scheme showed in not content with the 8 conditionally allowed the Washington Tarif? Treaty.
The other delegations for the: most part contented themselves with expressions of sympathy with China's requests.
The Japanese Delegate, Mr. Hioki, said:—"The Japanese tion have come here with the serious conviction that some definite results in the direction of a common purpose and a common under Standing between China and other Powers may well attained at the present conference. In now pledging our wholehearted ea-operation to this end, we are confident that its deliberations will be marked on all sides by fairness and moderation in spirit and simplicity and directness in method, which alone can ensure the success of any international conferences, Iways watched id' fixed for the following 33 on the general basis of 6 it. ad valorem. Similar
exports. The Japanese people, Festrictions, were Imposed on gar tified as they were with " such] arrangements, were sensible of their own shortcomings. They perceived that the weakness of their international position was but a result of weakness. They saw]
ity of all attempts to remove the effect without removing its cause, In this conviction they] set to work silently, steadily, resolutely, with the the completion in'their domestic administration.
"The treaties as revised in 1694 provided for a graduated customs tariff at rates ranging gerprally from 5 to 16 per cent. The new to come into force upon lution more in keeping with] modern requirements, but it continued to be unilateral without say the Powers. In 1899 Japan succeed. uld pro quo being undertaken
ed with the willing consent of the Powers in terminating all extraterritorial jurisdiction within her borders.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.