The Times of Friday makes an announcement of the utmost
importance as regards China. It is nothing less than the
abolition of " , of the transit dues on all merchan- dise, native and foreign, throughout the Empire. In future not only will " likin " be abolished, but the agreement that inland customs shall be collected by the Imperial Maritime Customs —i.e., under European management—makes it certain that " likin " will not reappear under another name. The full details of the arrangement are not yet published, and so we shall for the moment refrain from further comment, except to say that if " likin" really goes the opening up of China for trade will be accomplished, and results political and commercial of the most far-reaching kind must follow. The immediate credit for this great reform must be given to Sir James Mackay, but the final praise must be shared by Sir Ernest Satow, whose firm and statesmanlike handling of the difficult situation in China is winning him universal respect and confidence.
