Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-10

from certain provinces in the valley of
the Yangtse. 1t was originally intended
for the support of the Manchu soldiers In
the capital, but part of 1t now goes to
other funds. The tribute amounts TO
about 104, 600 tons of rice annually. This
does not represent half the amount col
lected. In al of the large cities there are
imperial gra laries built to store rice for
times of famine and for the use of the
soldiers. l saw rice barns at Nankin
and elsewhere.
The rice fleet which carries this crop
to Pekin is of enormous extent. 1t Is to be
seen upon the grand canal, and 1t has its
chief depot at Tung Chow, fifteen miles
from Pekin. The rice tribute is handled
by the transport department, and there
are thousands of boats and junks engaged
in carrying it from one place to another.
The amount the government receives from
it is said to be In the neighborhood of
100000 per year.
The Salt Monopoly.
The manufacture and sale of salt is a
government monopoly. The salt comes
chiefly from the evaporation of sea water,
there being evaporating ponds in the prov
inces near the sea One of the largest is
not far from the mouth Of the Peiho.
After the salt is made it is turned over
to the salt commissioners. These men
hand 1t over to those who nave salt-sell-
ing licenses, and they farm 1t out TO
others.
The salt licenses are limited in number.
The privilege is perpetual and is passed
down from father to son. In a good dis
trict a license is often worth as much as
$4,000 a year. The government fixes the
price at which salt is to be sold to con-
sumers, so that the man who gets con-
tract makes loses, according to his
selection of a district and the price at
which he gets his salt. Some of the
wholesale dealers make as much as TWEEN
fr-f five VfoNn
that the salt revenues could be greatly in
creased without increasing the cost of the
salt to the people At present salt costs
only about two cents pound at Shanghai
and is not more than three cents pound
at Hankow, and the total government rev.
enue from it, according to one authority
is S10,000,O00 1t is estimated that the
receipts from the sale of the salt are about
$50, GOO, 900, and of this the merchants and
middlemen make a profit of more than
$50. 100000.
The Chinese salt is not so fine as that
sold in the United States. 1t is dark,
porous and full of Jumps. 1t is stored in
salt warehouses, and you often see great
hills of it near the large cities. 1t is piled
up there and covered with mating until
needed for use.
Squeezing the Merchants.
One of the greatest squeezes in China Is
the likin tax. This Is tax on goods In
transit 1t is collected along all the water
ways of the Chinese empire, and is one of
the chief clogs on Chinese trade. 1t fills
the rivers and canals with little revenue
boats, each equipped with soldiers and can
non. The officials thus guard the water
ways and take their toll from every bit OF
merchandise that passes through them.
The taxes are supposed to be fixed ones,
but the officials made them matter or
bargain between themselves and the mer-
chants. Some of the merchants unions
pay lump sums to have their goods escape
iiEin taxes The Shanghai Piece Goods,
for instance, had all of its duties on for
eign goods so committed for a number of
years. The little gunbOats often blackmail
the merchants, and they make all sorts OF
squeezes.
No one knows how much money is col
lected under the plea of likin taxes. Mr..
Jameson, a former English consul at
Shanghai, estimates that about $4,000, 0OD
of likin taxes annually goes into the public
revenues The amount actually col,ected
probably is several times that which comes
from the imperial maritime customs, or
several times 22,ooo,0oo taels annually.
Some Other Queer Taxes.
China has all sorts of queer taxes. The
jinriksha men in Shanghai are taxed. The
wheelbarrow coolies pay licenses. And
there are licenses for pawnbroking, bank
ing and goods selling. There are pawn
shops in every town., which have to pay
not only ior the privilege OF engaging IN
business, put an annual TAX thereafter; IN
some cities the license costs as much as
$1,000 and the yearly taxes are from $50 to
TiuW.
IN iIeEe are aaNes On an ia'!1 SAFES. ne
.tsai COVER llltit crtrse Is . per cent on
IN iiohey HIiuS VI ne tldisIei; Less
i eii.I 10 u9ualiE P'i"' pGSduoe 'lie pai
. .ies 10 me Contract rae. Put d less conSluera-
aio i III 'iie "Eeu lihn - IFceiNei. mere IS
,sSdi a. az. III n III now amounting 10
' ~ Will ND! SlSlu d Id se reVe-
nv 49,, t,i i,, up 1,i,
are export taxes ana import taxes There
i are taxes on SIN cpGoohs' ana IN 1act'
i, ,rI taxes on many thlisS.
l 10 d taA vi oPiuih imports "hlch
brings IN ABOUT million dollars year,
ana one on the reeds ana PUSHES which