On Wednesday the British Minister in Peking, Sir john Jordan,
presented to Yuan Shih-kai a statement of Chinese floating liabilities, which amount to nearly L10,000,000. In other words, the loan of 210,000,000 which is being arranged for by Messrs. B. Crisp and Co., in the face of the strong opposition of the Six-Power group, will be almost entirely consumed in meeting debts during the next nine months— if, of course, a real attempt is made to meet liabilities. The chief of these debts is the Boxer indemnity, of which 25,500,000 will be due before next June. Perhaps China will consider it advisable to re-open with the Six-Power group the negotiations which were brought to an end by the arrangement for the unofficial loan in London. It is to be noted that the Six-Power group have already advanced 21,750,000 in various sums, and that the revenue from the salt gabelle is not sufficient to pay the interest on these advances as well as all the other service charges. Yet the salt gabelle is pledged to the promoters of the £10,000,000 London loan.
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