Feb. 28, dustrial development of Shanghé has brought with it the diseases of the economic society in which we live, the strike and the lockout,—Both have been constant spectras of industrial communities since the means of production were changed from the handicraft, system to the factory, from individual Inbour to mass production, As the farmers and peasants of European countries congregated in the rapidly growing cities to find work in the newly erected steam-driven mills and factories, they accepted any terms for their labour, any conditions in the places of employment. For, no matter how diffi cult the new methods proved to the individual, they brought a greater return' and an improv ment in life for the whole family: than was possible in agricultural communities.
When the industrial system came to China, it was hoped that many of its more unfortunate phages might be avoided. The foreign employers of labour erected mills and factories which were airy and light. They did not take advantage of the fact that the labourers would find most any conditions superior to those from which they came, Some of the employers voluntarily entered upon a programme of welfare work, providing schools and hospitals. Others voluntarily undertook to place limitations upon child labour. It has often been pointed out that every improvement in the condition of labour in China, particularly in the foreign-owned mills of Shanghai, has been vole untarily initiated' by the employers.
But even this fortunate state of affairs does not make it possible altogether to avoid strikes. For the urbanization of the fromers in their endeavour to help rade in the days when trade wat themselves.
Willingness on their concentrated at Canton is mud subscribe money for dyke more interesting than ma ale i fen caproned and ne ove al work could be executed i this ware subsequently, despatched to king, one in 1727 and the other 753. The Portuguese at that time were not in absolute posses-jon of their colony; but in 1849, worker leads him into channels previously closed to him. In night schools, he learns to read land write, He comes under the influence of the Press. He comes conerondabte spirit amongst them After business had been fairly fter the murder of General was encouraged, established with the Hoppo, other merchants secured Canton Ferreira de Amaral, the Portugu-|Wnder the influence of lecturers ese forcibly drove out the Chinese and students who would improve [It is war and misgovernment participation, and the Ca-hong, Customs officials, refusing thence-which blocks everything. A motor boat is stolen and her pilot shot dead; labourers will not go up country to work on the sluices for fear of soldier: piece of conservancy, esti to be done in two years, drags out to four; and always there are no funds.
'The total requisitions from the Comissioner of Customs'
nservaney Account and Sung-lung Flood Gate Account during the year under review amounted to Hk. $269,447. "From the an association of Chinese traders, was inaugurated to carry on trade. with foreigners. Subjected to' forth to pay the annual Tls. 1500 rental, and the official sovereignty of Portugal over the many indignities, the members of peninsula was recognized by China the East India Company carried on with a brave spirit, and were: eventually granted the right to reside at Canton. Many exactions levied by the Chinese, and the general unsatisfactory conditions in which trade was pursued, led the British Government to send diplomatic mission to China in' 1783, which was unsuccessful. A second mission in 1816 did not jin 1887. Thus have we presented a very condensed resume of foreign intercourse in China, country has put more into China than Great Britain, and }none incidentally has gathered more reward in the way of trade. But Britain's strong attitude with China has always proved to be the forerunner of incres freedom of all countries who have the world by what appears a short-cut, revolution. He hears of wonderful returns on labour in other countries, and, without taking into account the standard of living in those countries, the cost of commodities and overhead, the purchasing capability the people who must buy the wares he makes, his ideal becomes the day when he too might, earn enormous sums. His close contact with the luxuries of city life, his use of many of these luxuries himself, encoura to even succeed in reaching Peking, wages. to only such works asthe construetion of control sluice gates at Lupao, Masai and Sunglung, with the reconstruction of 17.8 miles of dykes. With the Board's scheme uncompleted, it is heartbreaking to note! The recurrence of flood disaster in the year under review and the scores of dyke branches resulting therefrom.
From the reports of Major Olivecrona, the Engineer-in-chief, one gets further details of this flood. The water rose at Wuchow to a height a trifle under six feet short of the highest 1 corded. Much damage was done to the Conservancy works which it had not been possible to bring to a complete state of protection.
wen as they were their]
was sufficiently proved to make regrets the more acute that the whole scheme is denied completion. Apart. from the! rivers, Major Oliveerona comments strongly on the wretched state of the dykes in need alike! of repair and of hundreds of miles additional dykes, flood gates and control sluices. "Not before such work has been completed," he writes, "will the river valleys and the Delta become local Government," we read, "no financial support has been received, The upkeep of the Board has therefore been defrayed entirely from funds granted by the Central Government"—and one is tempted to add that there would be little enough from this source if the Customs were in other hands. Writing in August Major Olive-crena could only count upon funds up to the end of September, ood ground for hoping that a perpetual grant from the Customs might be arranged to keep the conservancy going. From the local Cantonese officials nothing be expected, and a more damning indictment of the people masquerading as a Government Kuangtung could not be found, Here is a work of demonstrable necessity, of which enough has been done to prove that, were it completed, millions of people would benefit and the whole wince would be enriched. Bu: seems that there is no room for patriotism in the rulers of Kuangtung.. Only for politi und big talc. and a third attempt (in 1834) was. also a failure. In 1839 came the so-called Opium War, although there were other and more important issues involved and by the Treaty of Nanking in 1842 China agreed to pay an indemnity, to cede that apparently useless has developed through British enterprise into the beautiful and prosperous Hongkong of to-day, but he thought there was and to open five treaty ports to! foreign trade. Up to then trade had not been regularly established, and it may be said that, not until the Treaty of Nanking was trade between China and the outside world made possible on Janything like satisfactory con [ditions. It is, of course, idle to Tremark that had-Britain not been so persistent it is very unlikely that commercial China would be what it is to-day.
Though not engaged in trade! to any extent, the Spaniards held intercourse with the Chinese before 1635. Towards the end of the 16th century, Spanish Dominicans settled in Fukien, and-for long time the Spaniards held. the traded with China. It cannot be denied, moreover, that to-day Great Britain exerts an influence among the nations of the earth }for a united China. Britain is and always has been the true friend of China, desiring from her less than she is prepared to! give. Among the—thinking' island adjacent to Canton which) section of the Chinese nation we fomenter of poli believe we are right in stating that this is fully recognized, and assuredly no nation can or will {offer a more ready hand for the reconstruction of China.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.