The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-05
FOR EUROPEANS
WHERE RICH COMMERCIAL DIS
TRICTs IN CHINA ARE LOCATED.
Valleys OF the West and Yangtse-
ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the Terri
tory Grabbed by Germany.

WASHINGTON. May 4-Recent state
ments indicating an agreement between the
English and Russian governments touching
their -fnture course with reference TO the
trade of certain sections of China lends in
terest to a publication just issued by the
Treasury Bureau of Statistics entitled
Commercial China in 1899" A part Of the
publication which discusses the
of the Yangtze Kiang and West river VAL
leys is of especial interest at this moment
because of the recently published assertion
that an agreement has been made between
the British and Russian governments by
which the latter confines its commercial
ambitions for the present at least to north
ern China. The valleys OF the Yangtze
kiang and West river. which occupy CEN
trail and southern China. are shown by this
report to be the great commercial section Of
the empire. Not only so. but their impor-
lance has been greatly increased by recent
events. One of these events is an agree
ment by the Chinese government that no
section of the Yangtze valley shall be
"alienated" to any foreign government so
far as relates to trade privileges. while an
other Of equal Importance is the opening
Of the West river to the Of all
nations free from any alienation or spe-
cial privileges to any. That the Yangtze
and West river valleys are by far the most
important part Of China from q commercial
standpoint is quite apparent. Two-thirds
of the foreign Of China passes
through Shanghai. located at the mouth Of
the Yangtze. which is the Mississippi river
of China, extending westwardly from the
Pacific to the extreme boundary of the
empire proper and penetrating an extremely
fertile nrodfrCfiya and donSelU nonfl1afo6
area. Next in Importance TO Shanghai
from a commercial standpoint are Canton
and the British possession of Hong-Kong.
which lies adjacent. both of them being
practically ct the mouth of the West river,
which is also an extremely important
waterway and route of commerce to the in
terror.
A recent edict by the Chinese government
adds very greatly to the Importance Of these
two rivers. This edict permits foreign
steam vessels to ply upon the navigable
waters of practically all inland streams.
this privilege being extended to small steam
vessels which may go TO the very head or
navigation in all treaty port provinces. An
other edict recently issued permits foreign
ers TO visit all parts of the empire for busi-
ness or trade purposes. The Importance or
these three agreements by which the COM
merce of the Yangtze and west river VAL
legs remain open to all nations desiring to
compete for IT: second, by which foreign
steam vessels may penetrate for business
purposes TO the very head of navigation
upon these and other streams, carry
ing with them foreigners for pleasure
or business purposes, coupled with the
further fact that foreign manufactures and
the machinery which manufactures them
are much more freely admitted than for
merly can scarcely be overrated:
A report just issued by the German gov
eminent and received at the embassy here
concerning the development of the German
terest. According to the report the naval
administration of kiao-Chou was due chle1-
ly to economical considerations, IL being
held that aside from the Importance of the
place as a naval station. its future would
be found in its development as a commercial
colony and as a strong base or the German
trade i'm East Asia for the opening of a vast
hinternland. From this leading thought
were deduced. as to the administration, the
following principles: To make the govern
ment as independent as possible from the
home government, to encourage in every
possible way elf-government; and TO i'm
pose upon all official organs the greatest
dustry to facilitate these by granting ex-
emptiOn from customs duties and doing
away with all unnecessary restrictions. me
German territory leased from China COM
prises $40 square kilometers with sixty thou
sand TO eighty thousand Chinese inhabi-
tants. The report adds that of the greatest
importance. but at the same time Of the
greatest difficulty, were the conditions OF the
Chinese landed property. Before the Ger
man lease there existed IN hldO-CnOu. dS
well as everywhere in China, theoretically.
a feudal right Of the Emperor to the whole
soil. Practically, however. the ownership
of the cultivated land was recognized If he
paid a ground rent. There were no regis
tiers Of landed property, but only tax lists.
In order TO bring about a just solution OF
the land question. a proclamation was Is
sued on the very day of the Germans TAX
ing possession of Kiao-Chou forbidding the
sales of landed property which were re-
placed through voluntary contracts with the
Chinese to the effect that the inhabitants
of the various villages received the double
amount of the annual Chinese ground tax
as a kind of premium in consideration OF
which they bound themselves to sell their
land TO nobody but the German government.
In case the land should be bought by the
government the local price before the Ger
man lease was TO be paid. In the mean
while the owners continue to hold and till
their ground. 1t was an extremely difficult
task to conclude these agreements. but the
German government has now secured the
option to the greater part OF the territory
necessary for the erection of streets.
squares, quays. public buildings and FORTH
fcations. On Sept. 2. 1898. Kiao-Chou was
declared a free port and opened to the trade
Of all nations.