tariff and coolie hire; fortunately they will have to do' so no more. This robbery took place at a point where a Consul was robbed, foreign lady was robbed, and an American doctor was robbed. Frequent visitors past this. point} say" that the robbers calmly en the hill side and carefully examine the passers-by to ascertain if they are worth robbing.
Naturally this state of affairs making commerce on the border almost impossible. Soldiers plus brigands have placed themselves Fight across the main road between China and Tibet and merchandise coming in or going out have either to pay them a heavy toll or be robbed: sometimes both. And all this is in spite of the fact that merchants have to pay what is called a protective tariff" on goods coming in and going out.
protective tariff is only levied on Chinese merchants going out of the China gate. Two hundred yards from the city gate and in front of a rather dilapidated building hangs a sign notifying the! general public that here stands the office for protecting the- goods merchants: It is absolutely no g20d laying down your load and informing the head of this office, "Much obliged, but I would rather not have your protection." Whether the Chinese merchant wants it or not he has to pay the protective tariff. The head of this office will ask the merchant point-blank, "How do you think I'm going to ' live?" And the fear complex so dominates the nierchant that for the time being he has nothing to reply This protective tariff office outside the China gate will neither give perfection nor take responsibility and apparently exists for the sole purpose of demanding money from the poor defenceless merchants, Benefit of Clergy Why a protective tariff should be demanded from a merchant who only 200 yards from the city gate on his way in and practically home is somewhat of 8 problem. A few days ago we saw an Buddhist priest and simple novice being held up this tariff office. The head and his assistants had all left the office for the day but his wife with a little baby in her arms and a Small, servant, girl were apparently in charge! "Stop" shrieked the woman with the child in her arms} "Stop," yelled the ragged servant} girl, The old priest carrying a chicken and the novice carrying bag of walnuts both stopped, "Where have you come from?" demanded the woman, "what are you carrying?" asked the girl? "Dont you know." they both shouted, "that this is the protective tariff office?"
The priest and his novice. not comprehending what was being said simply stood and stared at the woman and the girl. Protective! tariff office, chickens, priest, walnuts, novice, wife of head and passed on while trying to tell them that the chicken was reared in the temple grounds and that the walnuts grew on the temple trees} and that they were absolutely innocent of any breach of the tariff office laws, Tore are no less than three offices outside the Tibet gate for i The first office is for the second, 30 yards beyond the first, for collecting likin; the third, the one hundred yards beyond the tax. from habit: the tax collecting habit. There is no army to support the Border Administration almost ceased to function, nearest soldiers are eight from us here and yet the tax, offices are apparently working at, high pressure. The money is not} being sent any where as to do so would be another way of encouraging brigandage. Eight hundred to one thousand coolies carrying from tone to three hundred catties of tea enter the city every day; this tea is heavily taxed when it comes in and taxed when it goes out.
"Tell me, tell me, where do 'g0, in the winter time?."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.