The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1926-02-04
REAL CHINA DRAGON
AMERICA WOULD KILL
Toll on Goodssin Transit Is
Cause of Trouble.

hingtOn.-American representa-
tives have laid before the great pow
ers and China a proposal to free
China from foreign restrictions on
tariff levies in return for abolition of
the "likin."
1.-THE real dragon of modern Chira,
is the likin,' in the opinion of foreign
traders and many Chinese" says u
bulletin of the National Geographic
society from it's headquarters in
Washington, D. G. 1.-THE abolition of
similar tax by the Constitution of,
the United States helped save the
Union The Americans at Picking
may be doing for China what George
Washington, Jefferson, Madison,
Franklin and others did for the col
onies at Philadelphia in 1877. 1t was
not until 1870 that the 1ikin' was
abolished within the German Union.
Taxes Levied in. Transit.
1.-THE nearest equivalent which Eng
fish has for the Chinese word 1illin'
is per cent The Chinese term means
per MILE that is, tax apportioned
according to thousands. 1t has TAX
en- on a different meaning in the
course of years until now likin' sta
ton is known as a squeeze station.
Likin stations are toll posts where
taxes are levied on goods in transit.
While some of the collections made at
the squeeze stations go to the cen
trail government most of the revenue
falls into the hands of the provincial
governors or the district mandarinS.
"From Shanghai to Soochow it is
81 miles and goods going from one
city to the other have to pass eight
likin stations. At the first and last
stations all goods are dutiable at
the rest all goods must be examined,
and there is scarcely single article
that does not in that transit pay at
least three taxes.
''If a parallel system were set up
on the New York-Philadelphia high
way, all the motor trucks would be
in New York, Hoboken, Newark, Eliz-
abeth, New Brunswick, Princeton,
Trenton and Philadelphia. At each
station the entire contents Of the
truck would be ransacked and the
drivers would be compelled to pay
a certain sum. Obviously the road
run of a few hours would lengthen
into a day or two. The expense of
tax and time would put a burden on
business which would be shifted to
the consumer. In the end commerce
by truck would be smothered. This
cycle is complete in China where for
eign goods commonly penetrate only
brief distance from the free treaty
ports, and even domestic trade drib-
bles along in anemic fashion.
Likin Is Not Old.
unlike most Chinese creations, the
likin is not old. 1t was invented
about 1850 to raise money for the sup
| port of the army suppressing the
| TAPPING rebellion. It's success as a
| source of cash soon recommended 1t
to governors of various towns and
provinces. These officials are always
| pushed to acquire personal and civic
finances. They knew as well as any
one that in the past money which
went to Picking stayed in Picking
Likin offered satisfactory answer.
CONTINUED existence of likin rec
j ognizes that China is a collection of
semi-ndependent states such as the
/ United States and Germany were
| when in embryo.
1.-THE problem of the likin has been
up before international councils be-
fore. Agreements have been made
that foreign traders could purchase
| through transit tickets for their goods
at the point of departure which would
! free shipments from ikin toll. But
even in the recent meetings of the
| conference there have been reports
| that provincial war lords have ignored
| these pacts. They were charged with
levying double and triple likin to sup
| p6rt their armies"