Dr. Wang declared that at present there were encouraging indientions that the Japanese Government would accede to the wishes of the Ghinese Government and if '50, it would be a great step forward and, successful termination of the Conference was in sight, as one the' total amount to be raised through the surtaxes was settled, the question of specific rates and other details could easily be solved.
Referring to the proposed recip. real treaty with Japan, Dr, Wang stated that discussions had not yet begun. China prepared discuss with any. country the que: tion of rates, which for economic Yearons requires a reciprocal treat. ment.
The Unsecured Debts With regard to the question uneceured debts, Dr. Wang em-Fhatically declared that any con. fsclidation plan must preclude the Possibility of 2 farther deficit Joccurring. He believed that this consideration had won over the Aclegations to the idea that the! raising of a larger sum was. essential. He did not think that the Conference would go into the debt question, which would be handled by Dr. W. W. Yen, as the head of the Financial Recdjustment Comniission, and the creditors, However, he said, the Conference would earmark a certain proportion of the unt raised by the surtaxes for the consolidation of the unsecured How the Proposed Extra Re-verite Would be Allocated Feb, 10, The situation as regards tari? revision is most involved, Com mittee 1 completed its work in November, when the Powers agreed, in principle, to China exercising: tariff autonomy after December 81, 1928, Committee 2, whose task was to arrange the provisional measures to taken in the interim period, has not met recently because the. Chine ese Government has not called a meeting, presumably owing to the unsettled political situation, and it will not meet formally until the Government feels ready to proceed, Taxation of Foreign Goods In the meanwhile the delegations are discussing, among other things, questions connected with the aboli Ucn of likin, including protection of the taxation of foreign goods pass: ing into the interior, and the return to the provinces of a fair proper tion of the revenues which the Government will receive through the Maritime Customs in liew of An unofficial committee consisting: of Mr. W. W. Yen, the British, American, French, Japanese, Italian, Dutch and Belgian representatives is meeting weekly at the Neth lands Legation, position with view to preparing an estimate of the total amount necessary for frie Fort duties during the interim Period to enable the Government to tund all foreign and domestic debtr, and proceed with the abolition of likin in the interim period.
In this connexion the Chiness Government originally suggested a. surtax on revenue during the in terim period of $100,000,000! of Which 30 per cent, would be devoted to the abolition of likin, 30 per cent. to the redemption of debt, 30 per cents for constructive purposes and por cent. for administrative expenditure, Some delegates considered it une necessary to include constructive work because China could easily. obtain sufficient funds for construc tive enterprises if peace and order were restored under a strong cent ral government,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.