The Florence daily tribune., 1900-11-06
WITH PALM OIL"
eoAs Inside Points on How Chinsss
Concessions Are Secured.


se.s inside Po,nts on How chinsss
Concessions Are Secured.
The usual procedure in securing Chi
nese concessions is somewhat as fol-
lows: There first comes to Peking the
advance agent. the typical concession
hunter, to look over the ground and
md out what China has to give away
that can be taken up by public COM
pany and secure the support of the
share buying public abroad. Some
times he is sent as the representative
OF group OF capitalists who have
definite idea of what they wish to Sc
cu.e. and in such cases he is furnished
with formidable letters of credit. to
supply the very necessary sinews o.
this financial war. Sometimes he
comes unsupported. and, having
hooked" some conditional grant
posts hot-footed to London or New
York to see what can be done with it.
occasionally promoters are of diff
ferent class entirely; namely. the
agents of foreign governments. trying.
under the cloak of private enterprise,
to advance a political design in some
OF the empire in which these govern
ments seek a predominating influence.
says Charles DENLY in the Forum. Ex-
perience has proved that these advance
agents need not be gentlemen of the
highest education or refinement, but
they do need to be endowed with GER
tain instinct for diplomacy in its lower
forms. and they must p., above all,
shrewd and persistent, of indomitable
perseverance. and with faculty for
making friends. Scruples as to meth
ods are with them superfuous, but a
Willingness and an ability in the ap-
plication of palm oil" are indispens-
able. They must, also, be men OF their
word toward those who work with
then. What they promise to those
who aid in the negotiation of their
contracts they must faithfully fulfill;
because while Chinese business integ-
rity does not rise in the Quixotic
height of refusing to enter into cor
rupt contracts, 1t expects scrupulous
exactitude in their execution. The
promise of the promoter to his Chin
ese aiders and abettors in social cir
cles becomes debt of honor, pay
ment of which is, or should be- abso-
iutely sure. OH Sucn terms as tneSe
have offices in China been secured
promotions obtained. enterprises au-
thorized. for hundreds of years. and
the foreign promoter must, as his
initial step. give his adherence thereto.
The method of procedure of the ad-
vance agent is to make the acquaint-
ance of the mandarins of Pekin; secur-
ing here and there an ally and a
friend. Then, at some favorable mo-
ment. he lays his project before the
proper department of the government;
relying on the support of his friends
to secure 1t favorable consideration.
One of the greatest concessions re-
Gently signed in China enriched in its
negotiations numberless officials. The
writer himself saw promissory note
for $4,000 payable to a small official
upon formation of certain company.
This was but one palm CREASED" and
the outlay on this head by the conces-
sionaire must have amounted to hun
dreds of thousands OF dollars. For the
consolation of future promoters 1t
must be added that methods are now
much simplified; such liberal "squeez-
es" being no longer necessary.