Meantime the attention of the Chinese merchants is centred on the proposed new levies. A gathering. of about a hundred leading men assembled in the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to discuss the questions at issue with a representative of the Hupeh Bureau of Finance.
The merchants took the stand that the new system of taxation would be fairly lo provided i ud all the thirty or forty miscel-Iancous taxes were abolished, They ted out that Hankow is a great centre, but that its trade ig killed' by the heavy taxa-to add the new levies al_and property and omployees will be a fatal blow to such trae ax there is.
The financial representative replied that these new levies have been fixed by the Central Government and ought to be enforced, but could sve the difficulties of the merchants, He therefore suggested that they should fil up all the various declarations is to business. capital ar? property: fon at one loyalty. He suggest to the Provine! ment that the payment of these levies might be deferred. The not accept this appointed a delegation interview the Provincial Auth time the declara sent in to the Financial Bureau.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.