Bisbee daily review., 1916-02-05
CHINA FACES PROBLEM 0F RAISING BIG LOAN
 WITHIN HER BORDERS
Deficit of About 20,O0O,OO0 Pesos Must be Made Up. This Amounts to About $8,- GCO,000 Gold.


 twenty million dollars Mexican, or eight million dollars gold. is shown. The government will therefore be obliged to raise a fifth year domestic loan in 1916, and the amount of this will probably be about twenty-four million dollars Mexican.
 President Yuan Shi-kai and his cabinet have repeatedly stated that they were making efforts to cut down expenditures. However, the spirit of unrest in various parts of china has made necessary a greater military ex- penditure than had been contemplated The income from the salt gabelle and i from import and export taxes is showing healthy increase, but is not sufficient to meet expenditure.
 The lack of centralization in the [ Chinese government makes it impos- sible for the central government to | collect the great amount of revenue yielded by the provinces. Under for eign directions the salt gabelle has ! demonstrated how great the revenue ! producing powers of China are. As the salt monopoly is pledged to the quintuple group of bankers and thor oughly under the direction of the five governments participating in the loan, there is little wastage in it's funds and ofaI aHi I,I c1,. in it's profits. as they do in other taxes
 One of the chief points urged by l the Chinese newspapers in support of China's entrance into the Entente is | that with foreign cooperation it could throw off the tyranny of its provin- cial officers, defy them and realize the taxes its wealth yields
 Taxation varies greatly in different parts of China. It is controlled large ly by the whim of local officers. The minister of commerce and agriculture. Chow Tze-chi, and other cabinet mem 5ers have been vainly striving to have the Iikins abolished so there
 
 between the various provinces. This seems Impossible, however, under present conditions. The hold of the central government on distant off, cials is so slight. and the various ef icers are so thoroughly entrenched in their own neighborhood that it Is impossible to reform the tax system.
 Chinese papers have recently been discussing the various taxes to which pork is subjected fiom tie time pig actual consumer purchases he meat. Every butcher has to pay for license which is renewed each month. The average change for this license is thirty cents. Mexican, month or about twelve cents gold. In addition he has to pay local contribution to officials in his immediate neighbor- hood. A fee varying from fifty cents to one dollar, Mexican, is also exacted from every butcher for each pig he kills. After the animal has been slaughtered, it much have an official stamp placed upon it and small sum is charged for this service. Every | butcher who desires to retail pork must also pay a monthly fee varying from sixty cents to one dollor, MeXi- | can, known as a shop contribution. i And finally he must make a regular | contribution to the butchers guild. | Furthermore. there are taxes levied | upon shipments of pork from one dis trict to another, and the man who raises pigs is taxed for the privilege | of doing so.
 Rice taxes are equall ycomplex and | burdensome. A rice grower is forced i to pay tax on his land. When the | rice is ready for market. the village | commission agent charges small ! sum for hadling it and to this amount | is added stamp duty. Rice on it's | passes local taxation stations. all of | which exact fee. When the rice reaches commercial centers another commission agent gets fee, and the | city tax station a toll. Here another ! stamp duey is also added. The rice | is them reported to the rice guild | which must have another fee. Bag and destination taxes are also levied | When the rice passes from the hands | of the commission merchant to retail dealers another stamp duty is levied
 Chinese magistrates show ingenuity in inventing names for various taxes. Every tea shop keeper is required to pay a cup contribution for every cup of tea sold Weavers must pay a | contribution upon every loom. Res turant keepers are forced to pay a tax on every table. There are laws pre- venting magistrates from imposing taxes ct will, but the officials escape these by calling the various levies contributions. Retailers and small ! dealers who desire to remain in busi- ness know they cannot resist the tyrany of the local officials, and sub f init to their impositions. In many parts of China. the taxes are reported