Swatow, Sept. 30.
In addition to having trouble with the boycott committees, the merchants of this province are having: tion with the inland In spite of the fact that delegates have been sent to Nanking to take up the question ax collection hereabouts, noth ing so far has been done by the Central Government to satisfy the merchants" appeal for the introduetien of lower taxes than those Jevied at present. Acting in sympathy with the merchants of Swatow, the Chinese Chambers of Commerce at, Hongkong, Bangkok, Saigon, and "Singapore have sent telegram to Nanking, recommending the Central Government to fully consider the plight of the mer chants of Kuangtung.
Importers of piece goods are obliged to pay, in addition to the 5 per cent, Customs duty, 2) per cent. inland surtax, 1 per cent, for famine relief, and 32 per cent, likin charges. Hitherto. the likin was farmed out to the highest bidders, but now the powers-that-be are Aoing the collecting themselves. The likin bureau does not, however, accept the figures given in ins voices, supported by other do-conments, but values all goods according to its own judgment, More often than not, the value of goods is over-assessed most exorbitantly. Should the merchants concerned dare to protest, they are either promptly arrested or fined heavily for "contempt of authority."
German firms are often vietimiced by the likin bureau, but they have to grin and bear it, having no recourse to extraterritorial privileges, The merchants hereabouts are all up in arms against the multitude of taxes now levied in this province, the popular opinion is that there should be nothing further to pay after the Customs duty and surtax have been paid, otherwise trade will never be on a reasonably secure basi
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.