90. George street, Manchester, June 19.
The above called forth the fo! lowing admirable letter from Sic To the Editor of he Times."
"the cave for a broader conference im connexion with the Chino problem which Sir Edwin Stockton Advocates in his letter in The Times' to-day is now generally recognized afFording the best hope of restoring a measure of orderly government. in that unhappy country.
The present. state of China largely the result of economic forces which have been at work there dur-Ing the last 30 years. Under the Empire there was a delicately-balanced. system of finance between the IGoneral Government and the prov-faces. The richer provinces contrib. luted a more or less fixed quota to Pelcing and assisted with subsidies the provinces which were not self supporting. China had then practically no foreign debt. Since China-Japan War of 1894 the Chi nese. Government has been obliged to contract foreign loans to pay off inde munities and other liabilities, and now enjoyed the sweets of fiscal autonomy for several yea it Edwin Stockton thinks that. China would doubtless participate: in the proposed Conferencs, and: hope he is right. But what is "China" in this "connexion? Not any Government that might tempo: tarily be in the ascendant at Po king, for all sensible Chinese frank.
admit that it would be the height of folly to furnish additional funda to Peking. Indeed, several of my Chinese friends have gone 10 far. 88 to suggest—a suggestion with which T do not agree—that the: ime creased duties should be retained the Powers until there is a stable: Government capable of making: a: Proper use of them.
China, therefore, for the purposan of this "Conference, should consist: not only of the Peking Government, but of the representatives dozen or more provinces which are: ut in the foreign trade and whose interests vary immenselys The task of reconciling all these im terests and claims will not be on cary one, but it can be done, prov vided "Chinese cooperation hax British and Chinese cooperation has. leporids upon thats
4 notable record in the past. Sixty. \yeurs ago naval cooperation cleared! the Canton Delta of pirates, and for the lack of it the Southern: seaboard is now so infested with piracy that trade is at a standstill. Military cooperation under Gordon supe pressed the Taiping rebellion ant saved the Manchu dynasty. In re: cent times British and Chinese e>- operation constructed some 4,000 or: 5,000 miles of railways, the only foreign-built railways over which China exercises almost full contro}; ind in the last days of the Empire sustained cooperation campaigoy extending over ten years, put am end to the opium trade with China: and left China free to deal with the evil in her own territory.
Is this cooperation to cease andr are the friendly relations whiebw have subsisted between China andr Great Britain for so many henceforth to be governed by view Jenee? I have no doubt of the am swer which would be made to this. appeal by the great body of Chie nese statesmen with whom it him been my pleasure and privilege: for york for our common: interest ina.
Yours faithfully,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.