It is learnt that the August instalment of the Anglo-German Loan of 1898, amounting to approximately £68,000, has been paid by the Chinese Maritime Customs into the serving banks, gain Mr. Simpon was fortunate] in of Mr. John Anthony Grandon British Subject who was former y in the Customs service for many yel He was appointed Examiner "A' in exactly the same job which he had previously held.
During the first day's work Mr. Grandon told the writer that he must have exami ined thousands of parcels, but it, took him some time to get the safe open in which important documents were kept, the keys of which had been taken away by the previous Jaminer. He succeeded in getting the fe open on the morning of 1 Monday and soon got things in working order.
That the seizure of the Tientsin Customs by Geners Yen Hsi-shan and the appointment of Mr. Lenox Simpson as Commissioner has jereated a sensation in ping and commercial depression in tsin consequent upon the silver! slump and exorbitant taxation has} placed business in Tientsin at tically a standstill, Foreign fi inns have been retresching, and as sult of their retrenching Po many foreigners have been thrown cut of work, Some foreign fi have been unable to weather the storm and have closed their doors, whereas other firms have decided to suspend business operations for the time being until trade revives. Many of these foreigners who have been thrown out of work have taken advantage of this opportunity, and have joined the Customs, or to be more correct, have become employces of General Yen Hsi-shan, in the same way as Mr. Lenox Simpson a servant or employee of the Model Tuchan of Shansi. Among, local foreigners who have joined the Customs during the last few days are:
Examiner, Examiner, Mr. 5. R. Stewart, Examiner, Mir, H.W. M. Taylor, Examiner, Brit Mr. Harry Paxton Howard, Examin-en, American, 'MMr.'M. A. Versini, 3rd Class Tideter, French.
Mr. Diercks, Examiner, German.
Mr. Patrick Murray, Examiner, ish, W. Sheppard-Graham, Examiner, British, The rate of pay has not yet been decided upon, as they have all been engaged as Emergency Officers by Mr. Simpson and it remains to be seen how they fulfill their duties. A Third Class Tidewaiter gets ubout Hk. Tls. 75 per month, and jan ordinary Examiner about" Hk. Tls. 225 plus Hk. Tls. 60 for house returned to Peking fiom his trip ta Tientsin om an inspection' of the general situation and the Tientsin Customs affair following the seizure by the Shansi faction, most traders in Tientsin have - suspended - their exports for fear of the double charges by Shanghai and Dairen Customs. In the circumstances, the general belief is -that the business depression in north China become more accentuated Rengo.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.