Cigarette Merchants Reported Willing to Accept Compromise on Tax Offered by Kiangsu Authorities During the trock-arid the struggle} between the Tobacco Dealers'
ild and the provincial authorities of this province in regard to the cigarette tax appears to have reached a temporary compromise. The members of the Guild are! reported to have agreed. to buy stamps for the goods that they sell, and the authorities to} Provide them with stamps at a discount of 85 per cent. A nominal tax of 20 per cent, Will thus amount, in practices to about cent will jaded wherever 8 per cent, and even that 9 per! possible, No tax is likely to prove very effective in China when it is known to be contrary to the law of the land as"woll as to the treaties with foreign Powers and. to various contracts concluded by the Government of China, The compromise has been received with a great deal of ridicule, and the prestige of the Kiangeu authorities in Shanghai, which had already been considerably weakened by recent events, will not be improved by this a rangements especially as the Guild is reported to have refused to accept the verbal promises of the Governor and to "have delayed acceptance. until it receive written pledge in regard to th discount on stamps.
The tax cannot, of course, be enforced.inside the Sottlomiont, but-every effort ig being made to make it effective in the Chapei, Nantao and Paoshan areas which are partof the Treaty Port of Shanghai. The decision to enforce this illegal tax in the Treaty Port itself shows a cynical disregard of China's national obligations which will not be lost, upon her noighhours and is likely to have wu unfortunate effect upon her credit. Some relaxation of the immunities and stfoguards now attaching the Settlements and Tronty Ports is constantly being urged. the Chinese business community net likely to lose sight of the fact that the Shanghai Settlement la a place where national obligations and private contracts orb" still binding, and where security " and credit can accordingly be found, The provincial authorities Kiangsu will no.doubt continue to meet with constant opposition to this illegal tax, which cannot prove, Sinancial, sucats in "the Will greatly weaken thu. prestige jao of organized opposition.
of the Nanking authorities, and also of the Chinese Government, which is apparently unable make good its obligations oven in 20 conspicuous an area as the Treaty Port of Shanghai, with one of its own adhoronta—tho Tuchun in Nanking. supply arms unless they set he (trate. The latter said that the free, but the reply free ho had'" received a telegram from Sen ordering his idler contracted dysentery release, days that he begged for foreign and was so ill for four or Wanhsien a week, medical aid, Finally the Rov. trongth, Mr. Widler Darlington, of the China Inland came to Shanghai, arriving here ion, was allowed to attend on the Ist instant, To whom or him. My. Darlington insisted upon What to attribute his release, Mr. tie prisoner having better food and better treatment, Then Widler does not know, Tt night have been duo to the efforts of orders canis from Marshal Wa the lawyer engaged on his behalf, Pei-tu for the advance upon Chung-to the efforts of his friends in king agai. Gen. Yang Sen left Wanhsien and left Mr. Widler Chungking and Shanghai representations from the Japanese the charge of the Magistrate (Lai Hurg-tsao), from whom he re-(Government, for Gen. Hsiong had ceived more humane treatment. threatened that if any harm bote! Mr, Widler asked if he could be Mr. Widler ho would put to death Pet into a room in the yameo, the two Japanese aicers from the Yihyang Maru whom he was hold wut the Magistrate said that he dared not take the risk. It ing for ransom, prisoner escaped, he would lose ROBBED OF ALL POSSESSIONS, his head.
In spite of the personal guaran-INNER LIGUTS ON CHINESE, tee of the Chungking Magistrate Mr, Widler saw no more of that his property would be kept. Gen. Yang Sen or any of his army intact, $3,000 was removed from and thenceforward until the time the Cosmos Club, $3,000 worth of of his release was confined in a wines, n quantity of valuable common prison. Among the curios, "a number of Keystone Prisoners were ex-oticers, ex: watches and clocks, and 90 rolls officials, and the scum of the of tuberoid; while "when he was criminal class. The prisoners. prison' at Wanhsien he conversed with each other freely Tearned from Gen. Yang's little and during the three months he son that the General was wean was in this prison Mr. Widler says he learned more of Chinese his gold watch and chain with gol medal attached—tho medal being methods than in the whole of his one that was presented by the 15 years of travel in the interior Into Queen, Victoria, through her China. One of the prisoners representative, Sir Scott Moncrieff, was the son of wealthy' parents ta the late Mr, David Widler and had boom imprisoned because Gr, Elly Widler's father) for self. the people of his village had been sacrificing Jabours in aid unable to supply the soldiers with destitute Jews in Palestine. 'The rice, He was seized by the little boy' also told Mr. Widler soldiers and imprisoned and a that they had is the house one of ransom of $20,060 demanded.
Mr. Widler's most valued posses: $8,000 was paid at once, but the sions—a gold canary, said to have mao was kept in prison until the been at one time the property balance was paid. No food was the late Tsar of Russia. and stolen supplied to the prisoners, but from his palace at the time of the they could buy from the hawkers revolution. who came to the bars of the cell.
In previous articles we have 'Those without money coulAl described briefly. the filthy. con-starve. Tt was the custom, howditions of fe colls in which Mir. ever, for the prisoners to' share Widler was confined and the in-their food, and as Mr. Widler haa human treatment to which he was no money' during the first, two subjected. Io our. interview he months of his incarceration here, mentioned especially the enor-he was indebted to the young mous number of rats that infest man held for ransom for his daily the eells and eat the food even sustenance. When, after two when it is placed in a basket months, he received $50 from suspended from the ceiling by"a friends, he felt like a prince and string. These rats have no. fear, was able to return the previous for it is understood in the prison: hospitality of his fellow prisoners. thaé%o kill one brings bad luck. 'The women prisoners, in another coll, had mostly been imprisoned for various trivial offences. 'Those Ax assistant Jacdah who arriv-who could not buy food were often Shanghai last' Friday r0- supplied by outsiders who then ported that the junk on which ho claimed them, body and soul, in was employed, when within easy return for the money: thy had reach of the Huangpu, on a voy-expended. age from Fukien, was captured ame ay ast, by 40 or 50 pirates in three boats. 'They took off the whole of the 'At 8 p.m:.on March 14 of thi valuable cargo and also carried year. Mr. Widler. was taken out away the chief laodah, for whom prison..by two. xmners,_, who they: said, they. would' demand.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.