Evening star., 1901-02-16

cent. When the Chinese customs seryice
was In the hands of the native officials ir
did not yield 10 the government much more
than one-tenth of the revenue that It yields
now.
The customs revenues of China are de-
rived from a tax of per cent levied upon
all exports and imports OF the empire. TINS
percentage Is Insignificant compared to tho
customs duties of other nations, and can
easily be raised to - per cent without se-
riously affecting the volume OF China s
trade Such an increase would raise the
revenue from this source to about Ss,.ooo.-
600 per year. The other revenues OF the
Chinese government are derived from the
salt taxes, yielding Il 600. 600 taels per an
yielding about 100000 taels per annum,
and the land tax.
Chief Source of Revenue.
The land tax of China is the greatest
source of imperial revenue. yielding more
than one-third the total revenues of the
throne. which aggregate only about 90
00O,00O taels a year. This land tax is
direct tax of from % cents to 81 per acre.
according TO the quality, levied on all the
arabic land in the empire, yet last year it
yielded the central government only little
over 33,000,o00 taels The collection
of this tax is still in the hands of the Chi
nese officials, and with the known corrup-
ton of such control, 1t will not be surpris-
ing to learn that the amount assessed and
collected from the people aggregates more
than five times the amount which reaches
the imperial government.
From the area of land taxed and the
known rate OF taxation, II is estimated that
the amount collected from the people on
account of this land tax aggregates about
100000 taels tSll1,Joo.0oo per annum-
The difference between this sum and the
SD, ,000.000 received by the Pekin govern
ment represents the squeeze" of the army
of officials through whose hands the money
must pass before reaching the imperial
treasury.
If this great land tax of China were hon.
estly and efficiently administered by a for
eign commissioner. as is the customs SER
vice, 1t alone would offer an ample security
for the great indemnity now demanded.
After paying for its administration and
paying to the Chinese government a sum
equal to that now received by II from the
tax it would still leave balance Of over
10O,0O,O00 taelS per annum. Such a sum
would pay per cent interest per annum
on debt Of LOCO, 900, 900 taels ($730. 600 000)
and leave sum sufficiently large to repay
the entire principal of the debt in about
fifteen years. When it is understood that
such results can be secured from the taxes
already levied without increasing the bur-
den upon the people, one gets some idea of
China's resources.
The Object in View.
It is, of course, true that China is un-
able to pay in cash any such sum as that
demanded by the powers, but she can
easily pay a sum Of S1o0 600 900. which will
be ample to cover all actual damage or loss
sustained by the powers in China. How
ever. the very purpose of exacting punitive
damages would be lost if China We're able
to pay them at once in cash. The purpose
of eXacting such enormous indemnity
from China is to place her under bonds to
secure her future good behavior. 1t can be
done only by imposing debt OF such pro-
portions upon her that it will exhaust her
surplus revenue for years to come and so
prevent the enormous purchase and manu-
facture of war materials and supplies
which has been going on since the dtsas-
trous collapse of the imperial arms in the
war with Japan.
The powers should. therefore, accept from
China the payment in cash of such sum
as will cover the actual pecuniary loss in
CURED by the uprising. and insist upon the
assignment of the land tax and its admin
stration by foreign commissioner as the
security for the great burden of punitive
damages that shall be laid upon her. each
of the powers receiving its proportion of
the total damages in bonds of a uniform
issue so secured. Such an issue of bonds
would also be a guarantee of the territorial
integrity Of China, for it would create a
joint and several interest among the pow
ers for preserving the empires integrity.
If the powers attempted to divide the en-
pre they would destroy the security for
their debt.