Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-15
CHINESE RESTRICT
FOREIGN RENTERS
Make 1t Virtually Impossible for
Outsiders to Rent Hang
chow Property

SHANGHAI, Sept. 14-A new phase
of the anti-foreign movement in China
has emerged at Hangchow At a recent
/ meeting of the gentry and prominent
| residents of that city regulations were
drawn up which, it is proposed, should
in future govern the renting of prop
erty by foreigners. The practical eff
feet of this action, which is held to
constitute a fragrant encroachment on
| treaty rights, is to make it virtually
| impossible for foreigners henceforth to
rent property in Hangchow, if not
| throughout the whole province of Che
kiang. Apparently the movement had
| its origin in a trivial quarrel with the
Japanese shopkeepers some months
ago, as a consequence of which the
| japanese shops were closed and their
| owners were compelled to remove out
| side the city Encouraged by this suc-
| cess the local gentry a--d business men
proceeded to interfere with the leasing
| of property to missions, against which
a protest was lodged with the COVER
nor. The latest proposals restrict the
| right of foreigners to rent houses tc
First-Those employed by the Cai-
nese government.
Second-Teachers employed in the
| government schools or industrial es-
| adjustments and mechanics.
Third-Consuls of every foreign cour+
try and their assistants.
Fourth-Missionaries of all national
| tiles and missionary physicians.
| They must, however, bring passports
showing that they are engaged in be-
nevolent and not lucrative occupation.
| Even in these cases the safeguard.
restrictions and penalties .prescribcd
are so numerousthat the best inten-
toned Chinese landlord might we'll be
| excused for deciding to dispense with
the trouble and risk attached to let
| ting his premises to foreign tenant.
1t might be imagined that it would be
| a simple matter to put an end to this
| crusade by appealing to the responSi-
BILE authorities. But evidently the To-
! cal officials stand in some awe of the
| agitators, whose power is attested by
the servile tone adopted toward them
by the governments representatives.
This, indeed, seems to be the crux
| of the matter. In an illuminating ar
ticle on the subject the North China
Herald remarks that far more serious
| than the disabilities imposed on for
eign tenants, or the lavish threats oS
punishment to be meted out to native
! landlords on violation of the numerous
rules, threats which are obviously de-
signed to frighten Chinese owners of
| property from any dealings with for
eigners, is the indirect evidence af-
forded of the uprising of new and
| irresponsible force with which Chinese
| officials and foreigners alike have now
to reckon. again and again through
out the regulations we find mention
of the Hangchow chamber of COM
merce as the arbiter of all negotia-
| tions between landlord and tenant. To
this body all agreements must be sent
for preliminary approval and stamp
ing. All disputes must in the first
place be reported to the chamber, who
in turn memorialize the police. And
finally it is with the cham ber OF COM
merce that all questions of punishment
or recommendations for punishment
shall rest
In other words between the foreign
tenant and the officials with whom he
or his nations representative should
| properly deal, a new organization has
come into existence, whose mere whim
Is to be sufficient to upset all existing
contracts and with whom the foreign
representatives will have all the great
est difficulty in coping in that, apart
from it's vague non-official status, the
officials themselves are palpably afraid
of withstanding its behests."
AGITATION INCREASES
There is no abatement in the agi-
tation for the immediate summoning
of the proposed Chinese national as
sembly. Despite repeated rebuffs, the
delegates from the provincial assem-
blies who constitute the parliamentar-
| ian league are carrying on an active
campaign, and are sedulously endeav-
oring to win over princes and minis
ters to their views. So far, however
they have failed to shake the decision
of the prince regent to adhere to the
! original program. The question was
| again fully considered at a recent coun-
ell held at the imperial palace On the
previous day a preliminary meeting OF
high state dignitaries was held, at
| which various suggestions were put
forward. Among others, Prince Su
and Tsai Use, minister of finance, are
said to have favored the compliance
with the petitioners demands.
Another view was that no change
should be made in the scheme, While
two-thirds of those present are reported
to have proposed that tne matter i.I.
! should be compromised by shortening
the period on the lapse of which the
| assembly is to be convened. AT the
| council however, the prince regent
made it clear that he would sanction
no concession; and the result of the
deliberation was the PRONUNCIATION or
an imperial rescript specifically retus-
ing to grant the petitioners request.
| This document recalled the fact that
| when a similar petition had been pre-
sented on previous occasions the
throne had replied that the govern
| menU'S resolve was TO allow run Pc
riod of nine years to be devoted to
purposes of preparation and develop
ment before opening a national assem-
bly,.
AS the repository of his predecessors
wishes, and in obedience to his own
desire to consult the best interests of
the nation, the sovereign, 1t proceed
ed, was only too desirous of convenlng
a national assembly, but the question
| of readiness or unreadiness was OF
paramount Importance, and to ignore it
| might endanger the whole success OF
the proposed system. A national as
| sembly constituted only one part or
the administrative machine, and its
| convocation could not alone achieve
| anything towards promoting the peace
and prosperity of the nation. More
over the immense area Of the Chinese
empire had to be considered as well as
the difficulty of financing it under the
| disturbed condition too often mani
tested. The people, however, could not
doubt the earnest solicitude of the
throne for their welfare, and they must
remember that the Tsucheng-yuan
(senate) was to be convened this year
i'm Peking and that it would be a real
preliminary to constitutional govern
ment