The St. Louis Republic., 1903-01-01
Believed at Washington TIL;
China VIII Not Long BE Able to
Meet Payments Due Powers.
FINANCIAL DISTRESS ACuT
Second Installment of the Indel
nifty Fund Which Falls Due
To-Day Must Be Paid
on Il Silver Basis.

1 Washington. Dec. 3l.-The State Depai
! ment has been officially advised through
! fiscal agents in China that the second i
/ stallment of the Chinese indemnity fun
which falls due tomorrow. must be ne
in silver. or rather on silver basis. II
! result has been anticipated and the 4
partment more than a month ago was 9
| yiscd, unofiiciaily, of what would harper
The first installment of the indemni
which was due July 1 lat. was likew
paid on silver basis, the nations receivt
the money reserving the right to reels
the difference between the silver and I'll
basis. Therefore. tomorrow. the depa-
ment will have placed to- its credit S496s.
for it has. without hesitation, decidedo
accept. the payment on the ba.is propos.
Some idea of the extra charge that wii
be imposed on China did she Yield to the
most general demand Of the Powers or
payment of these indemnities on IA
basis may be gathered from the fact 6t
whereas the Chinese tael, which was Ia
basis of the calculation of the indebtedns,
was worth "a cents at the time the agr-
ment was signed in Pekin. 1t is now woh
only 81 cents
The impression prevails here among r.
SONS VINO nave taken part in these ueta-
ments that the indemnities demandetf,y
she may for year or two borrow en1h
money from various international sotIY. 3
TO pay the installments falling due ery
ok months. but In short time the Pa
ers VIII be compelled. at the risk of long
everything. to come to readjustmenSpi
the whole Indebtedness. either by subrt-
ting the case to arbitration at The Haze
which China ardently desires, or by M
tuai agreement between the creditor "a =
tions. g
Most Of the first instaliment paid to;he
United States last July and amountinntO
nearly half million dollars, was In N
ment of missionary claims for dam2 9
arising from the Boxer outbreak The je.
partrnent adopted the plan OF paying OFT 2:
per cent OF each large claim. This tb.
sorbed nearly all of the first installhnt
BY this method something Ike two yars
Will be required for the settlement q tht
claims.
MISSIONARIES HEAVY CLAIM.
1t Is said at the State Department. wher,
many or these eases were handled. aid tn,
records Of the Amer can Commission com
posed OF Minister conger. Secretary Balm
bridge and Consul Bagsdale, show that a..
sam" statement was true az 10 the.claim
presented In China. that probably never Il
the history Of the department have ther
been so many heavy claims presented q
the attention of n settlement commiss!o
as these coming from missionaries, as
result OF the Boxer uprising
The commission has cut into these within
ruthlchs hand. The claims were comD,ii
10 organizations and individuals. In 5ne
case n claim was submitted amountiE 10
$4,000 for mission property destroyef Re-
liable afIidavits show that 100000 sas a
generous estimate for the property.1n In
dividual cases missionaries put claims
for jewelry and articles OF luxury
BY curious adjustment the c1nmlsson.
while allowing some Of these AIMS with
liberality. has placed very Is valuation
on human life. Assuming n fdrdered mis-.
sionary Of the age of 20 to0e capable OF
70 re- af
per year. II would award, n indemnity Of
about 5000 TO his or her sirs;
The State Department"nicn is the re-"
viewing authority In the casss' probapiy
further cut down the Claims for personal
property Losses