The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-10-03 00:00:00

AN IMPOVERISHED TREASURY.

A correspondent of the Loni3n end China Tele-
graph, writing by last mail from Canton, states:
" You have probably heard of the financial affairs of
this province from time to time, and may net object
to know a little more from a reliable source. The
late military operations in Tonquin have emptied the
Treasury, and extraordinary means are being resorted
to to fill it, or rather to feed it with its daily require-
ments. The Great Wai Sing Lottery has been
farmed out for T 13.600,000 per annum—that is,
T 15.3,600,000 for the double term of three years
each, or say a full period of six years. This being a
year of the triennial examinations, the farmers may
possibly manage to get three series within their six
years by a little clever management should this
Viceroy be removed. It so the farmers will make a
tremendous lot of money. And the next term may,
produce T15.£1,000,000 per annum. Another con-
cern from which the Government expects to derive
some benefit is the extraordinary duty levied on
opium in this province. I believe that this duty has
been levied for the past 10 years, despite treaties and
opposition. The first farmer lam told had it for five
years at T 15.500,000 per annum, and did well on it.
The next farmer gave T 15.750,000 per annum for the
term of five years, and is reported to have
lost money upon it, through lack of good
management it is said. The new farmer for
the present term of five years is said to have
been imprudent enough to offer T 15.1,000,000 per
annum for it, but although he has had the farm
allotted to him for the past six months, he has not
been able to do anything with it for the want of
funds. The Government requires a deposit of
T 15.30,000 before giving him his papers, and when he
has them he must advance another T 15.220,000 before
he has authority to collect any tax money. No cue
will advance this fanner money. For the past six
months an ex-official of the staff of this province has
bad permission to levy T 15.84 of silver on every chest
of opium imported into this province. An office
called the Li Wu Chil, under the management of
various Taoutais, has charge of this affair, and has
issued an official notification to the effect that the ex-
Prefect Yang was authorised to form a company with
a view of farming this portion of the extraordinary
revenue. I believe that these T 15.84 are over the
import and lekin duties of Tls.llo per cheat, accord-
ing to the new Anglo-Chinese Opium Convention.
Now, it is clear that if each chest of opium is to be
saddled with T 15.84 of provincial duty, besides the
TlB.llO already imposed upon it, the foreign trade must
suffer, and the native produce receive more encourage-
ment than ever. H. E. Chang I know is dead set against
the opium trade. Another tax now being farmed out
is a portion of the salt revenue in Kwang-Si. This
has already been allotted to a certain company of
capitalists for a fixed sum, but the underlings at the
Yarnell demand a fee of Tls.Booo for themselves,
which the farmers object to, as they have already
spent lots of money in fees to the various Yamenites
who have anything to do in the matter. This extra
Tls.Booo appears to be the proverbial last straw under
which the strong camel breaks down. That tax is
therefore shelved for some time. Foreign goods of
all kinds appear to be saddled with all kinds of
duties, and extraordinary taxes unknown to foreigners
generally, because not mentioned in the treaties. It
is these extraordinary duties levied by an unwise Ad-
ministration that has crippled the trade of Fukien
and Che Kiang, and prevented its natural expansion.
Tso Chi-Kao is responsible for that unwise policy and
his stupid advisers. Hu Hsing-An has collapsed
through the very means by which he expected to
realise fabulous wealth. A narrow-minded policy
never pays."