Government Planning to Impose One Offered by Foreign]
Delegates in 1926: Autonomy Likely to be Postponed"
A new tariff schedule, based upon the proposals submitted to the! Spectal Conference on Chinese Customs Tariff by the British, American, and Japanese delegates in Peking in the autumn of 1926, will be enforced shortly. Though October 1 has been freely spoken of as the date of this schedule's coming into force, no official notification to this effect has! any country close to China gaini an advantage over others more distant, and sending across large quantities of goods at short notice in order to escape the higher duties—a thing which is impossible for courtvies far away.
'Two Months' Notice number of officials in various been received by local chambers of commerce or commercial offices, Chinese or foreign. A commission is even now sitting in Nanking de: ing with the revision of the tariff, and representatives of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce have been invited to attend its sittings with their advice.
The Proposals of 1926
In view of the general position between China and foreign countries} it is probable that the declaration of China's tariff autonomy on Januacy 1, 1929, will be postponed. But. during the conference in 1926 China presented a surtax schedule in seven, grades for enforcement in the interim.—Counter-proposals were! made by the Brit 'Tapanese delega of additional taxation proposed by the latter which the Chinese Govern ment intends to enforce pending the declaration of autonomy. By taking' the schedule proposed by the foreign delegates themselves, the Nationalist anticipate no difficulty wilt be made over its enforcement.
When this schedule was presented to the Peking Conference in 192¢ it was calculated that it would in.
the Chinese Government' revenue by Tis, 57,000,000. By collecting various surtaxes on Customs documents through the Chinese banks the Chinese Government has been for some time enjoy: ing a considerable part of this increase in revenue, and the proposed change will increase the Govern-mont's takings by $26,000,000 only.
When Gogds Were Shipped In the absence of official notice of consulates were called upon yesterday and asked their opinion on sonic of the proposed changes. The whole question being from thei of view hypothetical—no official notice having been given—definite informa tion could not be obtained. - Tt was} learned, however, that it would -be highly improbable that the Powers} would consent to a new schedule being collected by the Chinese Maritime Customs without least two months' notice. Tt known that some Powers, not~ ably Japan, have sanctioned the payment of the 25 per cent. Washington surtaxes by their nationals only under protest. How they would react to a sudden demand for payment of taxes varying from 28 per cent, to 228 per cent. can be surmised.
In the alternative of the increase of duty being applied through other means than the Chinese Bfaritime Customs, it would be a question for, each Power to take up individually. One point made is that the Tari Conference was inconclusive, civil war breaking it up before anything definite was achieved.
Foreign Policy and Tariffs Nanking, Sept. 20.
Important decisions affecting the foreign policy of the Nationalist Government are expected to be made to-morrow night when' many important leaders here will hold a conference at the private residence of Dr. C. T. Wang, Minister -for Foreign Affairs. Among those who Will be present will be General Tan chairman of the Central Executive Committee; Gensral changes proposed diplomats have Hitherto had little over which to bestir themselves, 'So persistent' have been the rumours, however, that the Shang: hai General Chamber of Commerce] hayvalfed the attention of the Consular Body to them, and urged that, should new schedule be enforced fon October 1, it should be applied according to the dates of the bills of lading of goods being imported, That is to say, goods, which have left their destination on their way to China before the cate of the enforcement of the new schedule, should only be required to pay duty on the basis of the old.
This arrangement would prevent Chiang Kai-shek; Dr. Tsai Yuan-pei, Chairman of the University Coudeil; Mr. Li Shile-tseng, chairman ofthe Peking branch Political Council; Dr. LIH. Kung, Minister of Industry and Commerce; Mr. Kung Yungjehih; and Dr. C. T. Wang. General Huang Fu, former Foreign Minister, Yi Pei-chi, Minister of Mines jand Agriculture and Chang Ching-chang have been asked to attend, but are not in Nanking at present.
Problems relating to tariff autonomiy and the proposed tariff rates to be enforced next year, and China's treaty "relations with the Powers, especially the Sino-Jo ese treaty question, will be discussed at the meeting.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.