Mankow, Feb. 5.
Despite the very "rade hich the deputation of fen who we protest realised that the merchant class was reaching the limit of its endarane: The Director of the City Council therefore called a meeting of abou 80 Leading merchants at his otices yesterday and gave them a general exhortation to ce-operate with th Varty in its work.
Some Minor Concessions referred to the difficulties that merchants were facing and announced that the Bureau Finance had decided to make certain altera the rules for the levying of the taxon business, The time for taking out permits to trods would be extended till the end of thir month, and the Chinese Cham-Ler of Commerce will be consulted to the circulation of the blanks. The tax itsel€ will be levied from the first of March, and the first payment will tie due on April 5, its promised that as soon as this tax collected, other taxation will reduced.
To meet the wishes of the merchants as far ax was possible when is xo badly meeded, the pre-rules would. be modified. In the eae of retail shops the tax' will on the amount of business trans. ceted, ani this amount may be ided between luxuries and nec On the former the rate will he 2 or 4 per mille and on the Intter Lor 2 per mille, which ix a red! tion from the first 5 per mille as rst proposed. Banks, cash shans and manufactories will pay 1 por mille on their capital instead of Motels and. restaurants also ing from 5 per mille to per mille, merchants Par from Mottified No statement has been issued 4 to the attitude of the merchants, but it fs understood that they 49 put much faith inthe promise to reduce taxation after the business tax ix levied. Nor have the practical questions connected swith the portion of account books and jon been solved, A very serious fresh difficulty has, een suggested, for what is the method of fixing the tax on a branch of a bank in Hankow the capital
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.