Tt seems ridiculous to suggest that the whole Customs Administration has been built up for the simple purpose of assessing import and export duties which are no longer accepted as a consideration for the release of the articles or commodities specified on the duty memo, and that it can abandon the most essential part of its functions in {favour of hordes of extortioners placed in the Customs banks, by the local authorities. In Shanghai the French authorities have already challenged the pretension of the Customs authorities that they can withhold clearance from foreign steamers until an illegal tonnage duty, in addition to the. legal duty, has been extorted. Consular cleat lance was granted last week to a Messageries Maritimox Steamer, after Customs cleuranee had been refused, and it is expected that similar action will be taken by the Japanese and the British authorities when similar extortion is attempted in respect of their shipping.
There seems to be no reason why the same procedure should not be adopted in connexion with the ile legal Customs duties which—the Nankinge authorities are now ate tempting to impose—classing anid taxing as "luxuries" a long list of articles which were only #0. classified by the Foreign Tariff Delegates on the assumption that they could bear an additional 28 per cent, import duty, or a maximum of 10 per gent. in all, 'A-Case for Consular Action Under the earliest of the Sino-Dritish Treaties one of the func: tions of the British "Suporintondents or Consular Officers" is stated to be "to see that the just duties and other dues of the Chinese Government, ax hereafter provided Jer, are duly discharged by Her Britannic Majesty's subjects.": If the Customs bankers refuse to accept the legal duties there seems to be no valid reason why the British Consular authorities should not certify that the legal imposts have been paid on delivery of a receipt to that effect from sponsible British bank, nex why the Consular authorities of other Treaty Powers should not adopt the same procedure. This was what was actually done during the Taiping, rebellion, and the situation in China to-day is far more chaotic than it was. then.
Tt seems to be assumed that the integrity both of the Customs Service and the Post Office is preserved ting to every form of ference by the local In our opinion a m} tical integrity ix too dearly chased at such a price, If the fo eign employees of these national services are to become accomplices in the illegal activities of the local Chinese authorities, their usefulness cause. Some alternative mo-thod of upholding foreign treaty rights will have to be devised, even if it be necessary to go back. to the Customs procedure of 1853, and the reintroduction of the foreign postal agen which existed prior to january, 1923, Oise does not quite get the mean-if of the following paragraph it the "Hongkong Telegraph":—"The full list of offences which can be committed by a member of the Hongkong Police Force is set out in 'a new table which is published in the last issue of the Government" Gazette."—Surely Hongkong's police are not capable of committing any more offences than anyone else, and it is hoped, and most sincerely believed, that they do not commit any more than the ordinary little lapses from perfection to which all of us are inclined.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.