Hankow Attempt to Levy out Stating Conditions Frow Ocn Own Connesronoant Hankow, July 16.
An incident which has occurred in conntetion with the Stamp Tax in this port is worth putting on record, not because of its intrinsic importence but because of its revelation of the unreasonable attitude of netty officials towards foreign firms. The firm in question is a branch of a London house which has only one foreigner on its Hankow stof. "He went to Kuling for a short holiday ard representatives of the Stamp Tax Bureau took the opportunity call and try to get his Chinese star?
purchase a large number of the stomps, A good deal of argument ensued, Qut the staff refused to comply.
On the return of the foreigner he told his staff that he would not give any answer to any representative of the Stamp Tax Bureau who did not ring an official copy of the regula tions, This fact was communicated to the men on their second visit, and due course they called to see the foreigner. He told them that by could not give them any answer whatever to their demand unless he knew what that demand was. They replied that they could not give hint copy of the regulations till he had undertaken to observe them! That brought the conversation to an end, for the foreigner naturally held that he would not say what he would do about the tax unless he was given a certified copy of the regulations and also sufficient time in which to consult his Consul, But imagine demand would be made that for a tax be paid, for of course when the stamps are bought the tax has Deen paid, ax a condition of knowing the regulations governing, the imposition of the tax!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.