Peking, Oct. 4.
China's agenda for the Tariff Conference was agreed upon a day or 30 ago at a meeting of the chief delegates and it ts understood that it will soon be transmitted to the Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps, either verbally or in writing, Ta prevent any leakage, the delegates decided not to have copies even for themselves, The lest decision to be reached, I understand, was to base China's case on Customs autonomy instead of the Washington Treaties, But a del gate said to me to-day: "Thor no. frightfulness' about Chin proposals." He intimated that what time Limit within which to freedom to fix her own tariffs. "We wish walk, not to run; to follow Japan' not Turkey's example, But if we do mot want to run, equally we do not want to stand still."
To accomplish the promises she is prepared to give, such abolition and debt' consolidation, China will ask for more concessions than were allowed by the Washing. ton Conference. To abolish likin, for example, the Central Govern: ment would have to subsidize the provincial authorities with at least revenue equal to that derived from the present transit imposts. Chibli province alone, it is pointed out, enjoys an annual revenue from, this source of $8,000,000, My informant inferred—that! several Legations had already expressed their sympathy with] China's request fora. higher imore gata than Ta per cent. Whathar fs so oF not, it is expected that, vera! attade wil permeate foreign side of the confer en Other questions which Chi id to have tabled include the gradual Ohinatying of the Customs service and the inclusion of Chinese modern banks as depositories of the Customs reveni In this latter issue China is! stated to be obtaining support from those Powers which are also inter-sted in pushing the claims of their banks in thie regard, Summing up his talk on the agenda, my informant said: "It is foolish to say that the Tarif? Conference will be a performance in three acts, first a request for immediate autonomy; second, refusal by the Powers; third, break-up of the Conferance, We wish merely to be allowed to work for our goal cly easy stages and if the Powers are guided by the motto to love their customers as themselves, they will render that possible.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.