* * Mr. A. H. F. Edwardes has resigned his
post as Offici- ating Inspector-General of the Chinese Maritime Customs, on the ground that his control has been interfered with persistently. He was appointed by the Chinese Govern- ment in 1927 after the dismissal of Sir Francis Aglen. Many people think that the Chinese Maritime Customs are run by foreigners. In reality all the employees (who may be either Chinese or foreigners) are under the absolute control of the Chinese Government. Many years ago the Chinese asked if some foreigners would help them to reorganize their Customs, and the present service has grown out of this request. A new and self-confident Government, however, evidently finds it difficult to work with highly influential foreign servants, and even the tact of Sir Francis and the efficiency of Mr. Edwardes have not overcome the difficulty.. It is unfortunate that Mr. Edward& resignation should have occurred just before the new Chinese tariff autonomy comes into action. If China has had no grievance as regards the collection of her tariffs, which has been admirably performed, she has had much to complain of in the fact that hitherto she has not been allowed to fix the scale. Now, however, she is to be free to arrange her own 'acale, and we wish that Mr. Edwaides could have remained to help tide over the period of initiation. The Chinese Customs revenue for 1928 has reached the " record " of about 112,000,000, an increase of more than £2,000,000 over the 1927 total-. Although this may be due in part to the rush through the Customs before the new duties come into operation, it is nevertheless encouraging.
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