The herald., 1897-08-11
COINAGE
OF GOLD
To Take the Place of
Japan Paper
EXPORT DUTIES ABOLISHED
HOPING TO STIMULATE THE EX-
PORT TRADE
Japanese Editors Unanimous in Their
Approval of Arbitration of the
Disputes With Hawaii
Associated Press Special Wire.

!
lowing japanese advices:
There is no doubt whatever that from
October lst next Japan will have gold
currency.
A circular issued by the Specie Bank
announces that from that date it will
pay gold for Bank of Japan notes. The
Osaka mint is very busy at present mint
ing new gold coins, the 2O-yen coin being
struck first. The project is to mint TO-
600 600 ven worth of subsidiary coins, in
cluding the 50-sen coin within year In
order to expedite the issuance of the new
coins, the usual summer vacation of
officials has been dispensed with.
| The Japanese government has decided
| to totally abolish the export duty from
the commencement of the thirty-tirst
| financial year-that is to say, from April
| l next. Although the budget for that
year shows a deficit of revenue, the de-
| cision has been made with view to en-
| couraging the export trade. The amount
of export duty estimated in the budget
for the current year is 2,269,77 yen, but
in view of there being an increase of some
| 1000 900 yen in customs receipts from
| 1885, when the new treaty becomes oper
atve. and their gradually increasing,
there will he no difficulty, even though
the export duty be abolished.
The japanese papers are unanimous in
approving the proposed submission of
the Hawaiian difficulty to arbtra ton.
Mainich. commenting upon the annex
alton question, says: THE reason why
| To- bas ,o1 ba
signing of the annexation treaty became
known is that she has done so simply out
of friendship, so as to make known her
views in the matter before diplomatic
negotiations are opened. From the reply
of the United States Secretary of State
to Japan's first protest it appears that
the dtermination of American on the SUBJ
! ject is very firm. The Japanese govern
ment, however. has not relied on the at
titude of other countries from the out
set, and this policy will be adhered to to
! the last"
The Japan Gazette says that there is a
feeling akin to panic at Kobe, which, if
not soon checked, will lead to serious
results. Foreigners are becoming
alarmed for their safety; encounters with
coolies are rife, and the spectacle of
foreign bluejackets being pursued by
mobs of roughs is not reassuring.
The publishers and editors of the To-
kyo Nichi, Nichi Shimbun, Chuwo-
Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun have been
condemned to imprisonment for one
month and to pay fine of yen for in
sulting the Ministers of State by pub
| fishing in their papers the famous Song
of March.
Piracy is parayzing the business il
| the Canton delta in the neighborhood Of
Sa-Tsiu, a town about forty miles west
ward from Canton. Robberies are per-
petrated every night, ard the wretched
inhabitants Of this unhappy region are
now in a state of paric.
Kobe is earning an unenviable noto-
riety in the matter of collisions with
coolies. The latest case TO be given pub
/ licity is that of Ensign Everhart of the
| United States ship Yorktown. who was
! charged with asaaultiEg a ricksha coolie
named Genzo Okamoto, whom he had
| engaged at the American Hatoba TO
take him to the Naka- -No-Tokiwa. The
/ coolie was slow, whereupor Everhart
| obtained an ato-oshi and on paying them
off gave them ten sen each, which was
more than the legal fare. The at to-oshi
went away quite satisfied, but Genzo
Okamoto followed and pushed against
Everhart and a crowd collected. There
upon Everhart struck the coolie and pro-
duceC1 a revolver-the coolie said knife
| but this was denied-an6 subsequently,
fled into the house of Mr.. w. P. Turrer
The court fourd that the ensign had only
acted in self-defense and dismissed the
11ax- of
late of coolies becoming very abusive
A Tokyo journal is responsible for the
following: Vladistock being the termi-
nus of the Siberian railway is most inn
portant port in Russia, notwithstand-
ing the fact that over four months dur
ing the colo season the port is blocked
up with ice ard the shipping traffic is
entirely impossible and therefore the
railway LOSES much of its advantages.
The Russian authorities have endeaV-
ored for many years TO conquer nature
and some years ago the ice breaking
/ ships were introduced to break up the
ice but il has been found that the opera
ton is practically useless. A certain en-
gineer has hit upon the rather wonderful
iaaa of reclaiming the narrowest part of
Tartar strait between Saghalien and
the Russian mainland. He is of opinion
if this is done the cold current that en-
ters the Japan sea from the Arctic via
Bering straits will be checked and the
passage of the warmer tide, coming
from the south through Tsushina strait,
will make the water on the coasts of ia
pan as well - a Vladistock warmer and
the latter will be warmer all the year
around.
This scheme was presented to the Rus
lsian government for approval, and it is
now engaged in it's investigation. There
is a probability of this piece of smart
engineering being entered upon after
the completion of the Siberian railway
The trial in the supreme court of E
number of persons arrested on the
charge of conspiracy resulted on July II
in three being sentenced to be hanged
two others to exile and one to penal ssrvi
tude.
Having offended the king by opposing
the engagement of Russian military in
structors, Foreign Minister Ii recently
rendered his resignation, which was a
first rejected, but on the 23rd inst. Che