The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-09-05

General T. S. Sharretts who was sent
to China last year as the special COM
missioner for the United States to
participate in the revision of the Chi
nese customs is a passenger aboard the
China for home. He has been in Shan
ghai since the early part of last Novem-
ber and during all of that time has
been busily occupied with the represen-
tatives of the other nations in prepar-
ing new tariff schedule for China.
Had it not been for the positive stand
taken by GenI Sharretts shortly after
his arrival in China it is very doubtful
if the United States or any other nation
but Great Britain, would have had any
thing to say about the formation of the
new tarin. At is was, General Shar-
retts forced the British representatives
to abandon the rather dictatorial policy
they had first assumed, withdraw the
tariff Schedule which they had prepared
and accept an entirely o-American
schedule prepared by the American
commissioner. The United States was
favored above all other nations in this
schedule and in consequence, General
Sharretts looks for a large increase in
American imports to China. At the
time that General Sharretts left the
Orient, the new tariff treaty had not
been signed by certain of the powers
buE he IeBdluS II DIS dllllOSl CGi lllh
that they will sign it without much
further delay.
General Sharretts is a member of the
Board of General Appraisers at New
York and because of his wide acquain-
tance with the customs of the United
States, he was specially invited by
President Mckinley about the middle OF
June to represent the United States
government on the special commission
..,g
purpose of providing a new tariff for
China.
In the first protocol with China, all
of the various powers agreed that a
duty of per cent could be levied by
China on all imports with the single
exception of flour in order to help her
pay the Boxer indemnity. 1t was pro-
posed to hold an international confer
enCe in Shanghai where each nation
would be represented by one commits
sioner. This commission was to pre-
pare new tariff which would enable
China to levy the new rate granted her
by the powers.
1t was not until after President Nc
Kinley had died and General Sharretts
had been interview by President RoOse-
welt that General Sharretts consented
to represent the American government
at the conference. In the meanwhile a
decided change of conditions had taken
place in the Orient. Great Britain in
sisted that the clause in the protocol
whereby the new tariff measure should
be prepared by the international COM
mission, be eliminated This conten-
tion was acceeded to by the other pow
ers and the result was that the matter
of the preparation of this tariff was left
to the British authorities who had had
control of the customs of China for
years
When General Sharretts and the
other commissioners reached Shanghai
they found themselves in the very
novel position of having been discharg-
ed almost before they had been hired.
when l arrived at Shanghai" said
General Sharretts this morning, II was
informed that the tariff had been pre-
pared in London and Manchester, and
had been brought to China by Sir
James Mckay for adoption. / objected
to this as being unfair to the United
States and called attention to the cot
ton schedule as originally proposed by