Americans here will scarcely be satisfied with the extent of the Trade with China Bill as it has been passed by the Senate. The agitation for this measure was based upon the privileges which British subjects in China enjoy, one being the right to register limited Jiability -companies here and the other exemption from income tax. In the documents prepared in support of similar privileges for Americans the various organizations interested pointed out the advantages acerning to British business through their possession, and the point was also made that in the past, in fact until the enactihent of recent orders in Council forbidding the; practice, it was customary to re-} gister what were in reality' American concerns, as well as those of other nationalities, under the British flag. To-day our American ends are in a fair way to gaining one of the concessions for which they have been fighting—the right to incorporate their companies here—but the other seems very remote. The registration of companies on the spot is undoubtedly a very important advantage, and one which Americans ought to have. more especially as they have 2 court here fully equipped to administer the law, but, as we have said. that will hardly go far enough to please the bulk of the Americans here. They feel that the income tax which they pay' is a considerable handicap to their business in comparison with others who go scot free, and no doubt they will not allow 1 he matter to rest where it is.
Owixe to the illness of Mr. Obata, Acting Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps. says Reuter, Mr. Bergstrom, Swedish Minister to China and Japan, presided at the last meeting of the Corps. Mr. Obata is suffering from a heavy cold and is confined to his room. The Japanese Consul at Peking is ill with influenza. Mr. Ito's child who has been ill is now well on the road of recovery.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.