On' January 1 of this year two very important Acts of legislation came into effect: the British Car-importing indiscriminately with little regard to. the ntat Hage of Goods by Sca Act, 1924, and the Australian Sen Carriage funtit the Act, 1924, Both Acts deal primarily. with that most important document, the bill of lading, yet there are some points of difference between the two. The Rules scheduled to both are practically the same, but in the enacting provisions of the Australian Act some variations from the standard British terms have been introduced. The Rules scheduled in the British Act are thos set out in an international convention, the scheme agreed upon at. that convention being that similar laws should be brought into effect. in other maritime countries, That. the British Rules, therefore, may properly be referred to as a standard there appears to be no doubt, and that there should have been a departure from them by an important unit of the British Empire a matter for regret. The British Parliamentary Bill was s0 larg under discussion (from March 26, 1923, till July 11, 1924), and all interests were #0 fully represented in what was said, that the resulting provisions ' cannot regarded as otherwise than a model. In November, 1928, the Imperial Economic Conference passed a resolution recommending the rules embodied in the Bill for adoption jay all the Governments and Parliaments of the British Empire, and since that time other great maritime nations than Britain have taken measures to have identical rules embodied in their laws. From beginning the view has widest possible basis of uniformity should be attempted, and the close adherence of the Dominions to the model form of legislation of which approved in London is 20 ly desirable as scarcely to need emphasis. Britai \d to other legislatures in this matter of bills vf lading, a lead that has been followed minutely but the general effect will necessarily be seriously impaired if British Over-sexs Dominions are themselves to begin to introduce variations. differences cannot be prevented: within the Empire which first ga egal enactment to the rules, they. will certainly make their appearance also in the process of giving effect to the rules in other countries, and the basic idea of uniformity" will have been defeated from the begin-
The Customs Revenue If this is a correct estimate of the position—and one recognizes that firm of this standing would be the to Indulge in sensational con the situation in its its clionts—it is to be feared that the greater Customs revenue simply means that Shanghai and other ports are living in a foo! paradise, We have seen situations such as this before, and all they have done is to. work harm foreign and Chinese interests al
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.