It is not possible to close a review of the shipping year 1925 without reference to the Tariff Conference now sitting at Peking and consideration of the effect it will have on shipping in China, It is with satisfaction that shipping interests and merchants of all nationalities—including Chinese shipping and merchants—noted the declaration of the Chinese Government that those taxation levies hitherto made on the transport of native goods from port to port in China (commonly referred to as "Coast Trade Duties" but which consist of the so-called export duty on shipment and the half duty at the port of discharge—about 74 per cent. in all) were to be abolished.
Few people, we fear,' realize the importance to freedom of trade that this liberal step would indicate were it "given full effect to; but like many other concessions of a similar nature its value is likely to be rendered nugatory by the added proviso that these duties shall continue to be levied and then refunded at the port of di charge. The reason given for this that precautions must be taken to prevent unscrupulous merchants from evading the revenue and shipping their goods abroad without paying the Chinese Customs export duty.
In other words, a vast and badly needed reform of the fiscal system is to be brought to naught under the spccfous sounding plea of "unscrupulous merchants." No mention is made of the continuation of the expensive staff at present engaged in collecting these duties and the members of which will probably have to be augmented if the system of refund is to prevail; nor of the vexatious restriction on trade that such a system will involve.
There is, however, some reason to believe that saner views will ultimately. prevail and that it will be appreciated that the only reasonable thing to do is to make a clean sweep of the duties concerned and allow merchants to transport their goods from place to place within the borders of China unembarrassed by Customs control, Customs permits and Customs restrictions.
Will the fair-minded intelligent readers; Chinese and foreign alike, ask themselves why this should not be done?
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.