File No. 893.773/28.
No. 39.]
American Consulate,
Newchwang,
October 17, 1914.
[Inclosure—Extract.]
Consul Pontius to
Minister Reinsch.
No. 31.]
American Consulate,
Newchwang,
October 17, 1914.
Sir: Referring to my No. 28, dated October
3, 1914, reporting on the apparent discrimination in the freight
rates of the South Manchuria Railway against shipments from Shanghai
destined for interior points in Manchuria, I have the honor to
transmit herewith further information which only too clearly shows
that a discrimination does exist not only against Newchwang as
regards “local freights” but “through” cargo shipped from the United
States or Europe as well.* * * Enclosure No. 11 gives the local rates as
now in [Page 603] force from
Newchwang to interior points in Manchuria as quoted by the
stationmaster of the South Manchuria Railway at this port. The said
quotation includes also the discriminating statement regarding
shipments of through cargo from either the United States or Europe.
Enclosure No. 2,1
gives a specimen table of authenticated local railway rates in force
from October 1, 1914, which clearly proves that shipments of cargo
from Newchwang to interior points are discriminated against.
The 15 per cent reduction in the local freight tariff does not apply
to cargo shipped from Newchwang to Mukden, and it will be seen from
the table of figures on Enclosure No. 2, that the old rate of gold
yen 0.3584 per 100 kin still obtains in this regard, while Dairen
receives the reduced rate of gold yen 0.40 for a distance of more
than double the mileage. It will be noted also that a 15 per cent
reduction has not been extended to goods shipped from Newchwang to
Tiehling or Kaiyuan, the discount granted being considerably short
of that figure. A perusal of Enclosure No. 2 will show that the 15
per cent reduction is granted only to cargo shipped from Newchwang
to Changchun; no discount is given to shipments to Mukden, and a
much less figure than the announced 15 per cent reduction is
extended to goods shipped to Tiehling or Kaiyuan. The last paragraph
of Enclosure No. 1, conclusively shows the discrimination in favor
of Japanese shipping:
Only such shipments are to be ranked as “through cargo” as
are shipped through to stations on the South Manchuria
Railway under Nippon Yusen Kaisha (South Manchuria Railway
steamship) through bills of lading.
Merchants in Newchwang in order to secure the announced 30 per cent
reduction in shipments of through cargo are compelled to ship their
goods from the United States or Europe in steamers of the Nippon
Yusen Kaisha line, transshipment from Shanghai to Dairen being also
permitted via steamers of the South Manchuria Railway.
The small concessions made by the South Manchuria Railway in the
recent reduction in railway freights cannot be considered
satisfactory. The port of Newchwang is clearly discriminated
against, and the local merchants have just cause for complaint in
this more recent act of the railway in according the port of Dairen
advantages denied Newchwang. The foreign merchants of both ports,
however, suffer alike in the matter of “through” shipments from
foreign countries.
I have [etc.]
