The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-08-17

CHINESE COMMERCE.
The HeaiheEs Claim Their
0wu md Will Have Is.

The HeaiheEs Claim Thei
0wu and Will Have If.
New York, I5.-The Herald c lament
as follows: The most Conservative atlsl
in the world finds itself Tempt d, aid
appears, out of his haugt ty solution, b.
the seductions of modern trade. 1t IS no
SO long sincs pious but industrious Eng
land, was forcing opium al the cannon'i
mouth, into the 1JWeTy lard, and Il
seems but yesterday that China was a.
all contented with ! ermit!ing anything
like reciprocity 10 c mmerce, yet to-day
she makes her fist entry ia toe lists fol-
the carrying trade OF the sea The Chi
nese steamer WO Chung, which in a few
days is TO pass through the Gold. Gztes,
will doubtless be the preeu is"r of q
merchant feet flying the dragon flag tnat
will ultimately penetrate 10 every port,
that pound OF tea can be sold In. So
novel is the exper ment that our treasury
| officials have 10 lock cautiously about to
find exactly what duties are leviable
upon the steamers arrival, but these
points once settled Chinese enterprise
follows up the experiment as 1t should.
The result will be the pushing of china
than by any other step that her people
could take. The Chinese shipowners
will not desire to labor under disabilities
in foreign ports, and to 6void them
China must swing her own gates wider
and wider. Where she needs consuls and
ambassadors now, she will need men-of-
war presently, and gradually she will
find herself penetrated to the core by the
- - ha ~aHar1 frQan Har
subjects have shown that in commerce
they can hold their own with any people,
and we may be sure that once upon the
sea they will give to China more and
more Of the profit which is legitimately
hers. They will not reach success in
this ''neW Departure without encoun-
tering heavy opposition, in which, since
the United States is without mercantile
marine of any account we shall have
little part, but in England, France and
Holland the news will create stir OF
keen interest.
Chicago, -Inter-Ocedn'S Wash
ington: The only information the state
department has received OF China's new
departure in allowing her subjects to en-
gage in foreign commerce was contained
In letter received by the secretary of
state en- Tuesday last, the substance of
which was Immediately communicated to
the treasury department. The letter OF
Evarts was as follows:
The representatives OF the government
of China al this capital have advised the
department that the China screw steamer
WO Chung the first steamer under the
Chinese hzg entering an American port,
Is soon expected TO arrive at San Fran |
cisco, and to prevent any misunderstood |
ing in regard to duties or other charges,
l have the honor to request. at the in |
stance of Chin Ian Pin and Hung Wing,
Chinese representative IS above, that !
proper instructions may be isIued to the |
custom house authorities At the port of
San Francisco to extend TO that vessel |
The privileges which are conceded to YES |
sells of other nations having treaty rela-
tons with this government. Your obed- |
lent servant, ". Ii. EAYRTs,
Ga the 18th, Secretary Sherm n |
ackno wlrdged the receipt of the letter |
and replied that the collector Of the port |
Of San Francisco had been directed on |
the arrival of the Wo Chung to carry |
out the inst uctions contained in the |
revised regulations of the treasury depart |
ment, and exact alisn tonnage tax at the |
rate of a dollar per ton in addition to the !
tax Of SOC. per ton.
This is all the information government |
possesses in regard to the new departure.
The department of state has not
received any circular and further action
by government will have to be deferred
until the arrival of the Wo Chung at San
Francisco. Ths note of the Chinese
minister does not state whether the
vessel is from one Of the closed ports of
China OF from q port open 10 foreigners. In
the event that The NO Chung halls from
a port we srenot allowed to trade with
She. will have TO pay $3.50 per ton every
time she enters the United States from
such port. The payment of the alien tax
will entitle her 10 entry into our port tor
twelve months. In any event she will
have to pay in addition TO the tonnage q
tax Of 10 per cent. Gd UGLOTent on the
value of her cargo, every time she enters
a port Of the United States, so that the
new departure so far as it effects the
imports and carrying trade of the United
States will not be as profitable as at first
appeared. Solar as CHR csc merchant
men may affect the carrying trade OF the
world the United States hss the least to
lose. Statistics of our commerce vita
China during the last fiscal year show
but eleven American vessels OF ., 33l tons
we're engaged in it, while foreign bottoms
coming TO the United States aggregated
% 923 tons. These figures do not include
vessels plying between Ho:g Kong and
the u United States. In oder for China
merchants to enjoy the privileges Of
American merchants in the United
Ststes, a treaty of commerce giving
them reciprocal rights will be necessary
and which all other nations would then
exact from China. The only thing of
importance, so far as treasury officials
can discern, in the new departure is that
it allows Chinsmen to trade with outside
nations, but as for competition of an
injurious character, that is not, 1t Is said,
to be feared.
The Commercial Bulletin says Of the
removal by China of trade restrictions:
Unless we are mistaken as 10 the scope OF
this change, it will prove to be one of
the most significant events to the COM
merce of the nineteenth century The
operation Of the new conditions may be
slow, but cannot ultimately be matter
of small moment to the commercial
nations, that $4,000 0 Of people, whose
external commerce is now limited to
$3.50. 600, 900, imports and exports, are
now AS free 10 cultivate external ira lie as
any other nation. One important result
will be, that foreign trade will no longer
he confined to the five treaty ports.
| Natives at any of the numerous populous
cities on the vast seAbcard Of the empire
will henceforth be ct liberty to transact
business with any country. There Is
value in this event to foreign merchants,
who will ultimately find their way doing
business through natives at ports which
thew are now excluded, through the
absence of treaty arrangements The
chance Of opening markets IN the hear
of China gives more promise than hun
dred of colonies, after which European
governments are Sc eagerly sirsinlng'
Resurrected Treasure.