Reports of Oppression: Chinese Despoiled of their Property Peking, Sept. 1.
Numerous reports of the oppress ion of Chinese by the Russians in Urga, which have recently been reaching Peking, are borne out by official documents, received by the Waichiaopu from the Waikuan Guild, an association organized by merchants doing business with Mongolia, and from the Suaiyuan Chamber of Commerce, and also by a letter from the Urga Cham. ber of Commerce to the Kalgan Chamber, which state that, since the Russian occupation of Urga, the Chinese have virtually lost all their possessions. The Russians have imposed exorbitant taxation, including an ad valorem duty of 20 per cent. on Chinese goods being. transported to Urga, the Russians sometimes placing on them their own valuation and exacting a duty equalling the real value of the goods. Purthermore, trade licensing taxes, a poll tax on merchants, special assessments for administrative purposes and numerous other taxes are exacted and the Russians have also established Customs stations at various important points, where 20 per cent. duty is levied on furs and other Mongolian native products, and horses bought by Chinese are detained on the plea that exportation is prohibited.
In cases where the Chinese have no money to pay the taxes, their goods are thrown aside and up to the present several thousand camel-loads have been treated in this fashion. The two main roads to Sinkiang and Ili are specially subjected to these disabilities and rinde along the northwestern frontier is entirely disrupted. The Russians have recently pro-, mulgated new passport regulations whereby Chinese, desiring to enter Mongolia, must get an Urga merchant to apply. H they are granted a passport it is then mailed to China. Chinese without passports are summarily deported. Already many farmers, artisans, merchants and miners have been sent out while 2,000 are held up because they have no funds for travelling. The deportees are escorted to Urga by troops. Most of the deported are pedlars with little money and many have died through hardships on the way to Urga and those sent back face tremendous difficulties.
The Suaiyuan Chamber of Commerce urges the opening of negotiations on the matter with the Russian representatives in Pekin, for the immediate withdrawal o Russian troops from Urga and the abolition of the Customs stations, while the Urga Chamber of Commerce asks the authorities publicly to warn merchants against starting for Urga.—Reuter's Paci-fie Service. said to be the most formidable 1 obstacle to provincial peace.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.