In view of this declaration by Mr. De Giers, I again telegraphed you asking
if I could accept the two other commercial compensations. * * *
[Inclosure.—Translation.]
Imperial Legation of Russia,
Peking, 11th June,
1901.
Mr. Minister and Dear Colleague: As I declared
to my honorable colleague in the meeting of this morning, my Government
considers that it would be preferable to guarantee the payments of the
Chinese debts by taxes and duties collected in the open ports, and
particularly by the revenues of the customs, instead of having recourse
to internal taxes, which might easily lead to an intervention in the
internal administration of the Chinese Empire.
Nevertheless, in view of the difficulty surrounding an increase of
customs dues to 10 per cent ad valorem, and with the object of bringing
the question of indemnities to as prompt a settlement as possible, my
Government has consented, as a concession on its part, to accept as a
source of revenue the salt gabelle as it is in operation at present
under Chinese administration, and without any foreign control.
I was happy to see the unanimity which the diplomatic corps was able to
reach as to this source of revenue, as also on those derived from the
native customs and the available balances of the maritime customs.
Concerning these resources and the reservation made as to them, which I
drew up in a special formula, agreement was reached ad referendum.
As to the proposition of the German minister to add to these resources
the increase of the tariff on imports to a 5 per cent ad valorem
effective, it would also have been accepted by the diplomatic corps if
his excellency Mr. Rockhill had not laid down conditions. These
conditions present, in my point of view, the serious inconvenience of
reopening discussion and provoking thereby loss of time, which my
Government had precisely in view to obviate when accepting the salt
revenue as one of the sources of payment. For that reason I did not
think I could accept these conditions even ad referendum, holding that
they ought to have been sufficient to secure the acceptance of the
increase of the customs tariff to 10 per cent.
Nevertheless, as some of my honorable colleagues have shown insistence in
the matter, I will consent to submit to my Government, without in any
way prejudicing its opinion, the two following points as conditions to
the raising of the customs dues to 5 per cent effective:
- 1.
- The transformation of all duties on imports actually levied ad
valorem into specific duties, the nomination of an international
commission for that purpose, and, while waiting for the result
of its work, the levying of ad valorem duties; and
- 2.
- The improvement of the Peiho and Whangpoo rivers, with the
financial participation of the Chinese Government.
[Page 244]
But so as not to compromise the results already obtained, it is
impossible for me to submit to my Government, as a condition to the
raising of the tariff to 5 per cent, the revision of the regulations of
navigation on Chinese inland waters.
Please accept, Mr. Minister and dear colleague, the assurances of my
highest consideration.
