The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-04
Chinese Railways and Railway Con-
Cessiona.

It IL obvious that II the trunk lines of
railway which are suggested by the geo.
graphical and commercial conditions Of
China had already been awarded to groups
OF capitalists representing various Western
nationalities, it would be easy to define
beforehand the respective spheres Of influ-
ence which the great maritime powers are
likely to claim. AS a matter Of fact, only q |
beginning has been made In this direction, |
but It is worth while to consider all the
data relating to this subject, and, for that
reason, Mr.. CLARENCE CARY may be said
to have rendered US a service by collecting
and discussing them in the current number
of the Forum. He points out, first, what
railways are already in operation; SEQ.
ondly, those which are under construction
or projected; and thirdly, the sections of
the Chinese Empire in which the privilege
of railway building has been granted to
foreign countries.
In China, which has q population vari-
ously computed at from SOC, 900, 900 to
400, 900, 900, there are only 500 miles OF
railways which are 10Y operated. To give
details, there has existed for some time a
line some 173 miles long, which n north
"dTu lIOu1 1lchtoih alOhS OhO u VI AS
chilli to the Kaiping coal field at Tong
shan, and thence to Shang. hai-quan, where
the Great Wall reaches the sea. The length
here given does not include about forty
miles of partially constructed road extend
ing further north toward Mukden, which
was the capital of the Manchu princes be-
fore their conquest of the Middle King
dom. There is also, between Pekin and
its seaport Tientsin, a well.built, double
track line, eighty miles long, which
has been opened within the last few
months. There is, finally, a short road,
some twenty miles in length, which runs
from q point on the upper Yang.tse
to the iron mines at Tien-shan-pu. We
pass to the roads under construction or
projected. There is a railway Of about
eighty miles now building from Lookout
Chou Bridge, near Pekin, southwest to
Pauting-fu, near the coal fields of the So
called Western Hills, whence, by aid of
camel trains, Pekin draws her chief supply
of fuel. Projected, but not yet begun, is a
short line of about fourteen miles from
Shanghai to it's deep.water port, Woosung,
where a railroad actually was built a few
years ago, but was torn up in Difference
TO Chlnese preJudlces.
The foreign concession seekers, however,
have been competing for some time for the
control of a more ambitious project, name
ly, the proposed run line, over 700 miles
in length, which is to stretch from Pekin
to Hankow, at the junction Of the Han
River with the Yang-tse.K iang. This
road is to include the Loo.kou-Chou and
Pauting.fu section already under construc-
tion, and, when completed to Hankow, will
be extended probably some zoe miles fur
Their south to Canton. AS this line Is to
run through the heart of the empire, it
manifestly should be built either by the
Chinese themselves or by capitalists belong.
ing to some country which contemplates no
territorial encroachment. Such, doubtless,
was the motive or the pretext which has
caused SHENG.TAJEN. the Director-Gencral
OF the imperial railway administration, to
delegate the building of the road to a Bel
gian syndicate, said to be composed of
manufacturers whose primary aim is to
market their products in China. Whether
this contract will be carried out depends on
the ability of the Belgian grantees to pay
during this month of January the first in.
stallment of a promised 4 per cent. loan of
800, 800, 600. This payment Mr.. CARY
deems improbable.
That the Pekin Government cannot itself
build railways seems evident from the diff
Guilty 1t is experiencing in the liquidation
of the Japanese indemnity. Half Of it has
been paid, but, to defray the other half,
$50, 600, 900 will be needed, which cannot
be raised on the maritime customs revenue,
all of which Is mortg aged for other loans,
with the exception of a remnant annually
amounting to less than $4,000 II
Russia furnishes or guarantees the sum re-
quired to discharge the moiety of the in.
demnity still due, the Chinese will have to
give her a lien either Upon the land tax,
the salt tax, or the kikin, an inland barrier
tax. According to the latest kilograms
from Pekin, the first named of these three
imposts is to be accepted as security by the
Gear. But this will give him the right of
placing a Russian supervisor in every fiscal
district of every Chinese province.
Let US look now at the railway build
ing privileges conceded by the Pekin Gov
eminent, not to individual or corporate
foreign capitalists. but to foreign powers.
The treaty recently concluded between
Russia and China has given the first named
power the right to carry q branch of the
Trans. Siberian Railway across Manchuria
to some convenient port either on the Gulf
of Pe-chi-li, or on the Yellow Sea. We are
told that already Russian railway con-
struction parties, guarded by ~detachments
of soldiers who are to establish military
posts, are swarming forward in the Chi
nese territory on their march to the ocean.
On the other hand, the Pekin Government
has conceded to France the right to
extend into Yun-nan any railway that
the latter power may build in the
valley of the Me-Kong or elsewhere
within the territory of Anam or of Ton
quin. There exists, indeed, u convention
between France and England whereby it
is agreed that any railway or commercial
privileges conceded In Yun-nan to one of
the two powers shall be shared by the