fifth among China's Herculean labors is the cleansing of her
Augean stables, and by this I can mean nothing else than the abolition
of the system of "squeeze," or graft, on the part of her officials. In
fact, no other reform can be complete until this is accomplished. The
bulk of every officer's receipts comes not from his salary, which is
as a rule absurdly small, but from "squeezes"--fees which every man
who has dealings with him must pay. In most cases, of course, these
fees have been determined in a general way by long usage, but their
acceptance opens the way for innumerable abuses. High {113} offices are
auctioned off. When I was in Manchuria it was currently reported that
the Governor of Kirin had paid one hundred thousand taels for his
office. When I was in New-chwang the Viceroy of Manchuria had just
enriched himself to the extent of several thousand taels by a visit to
that port. The men who had had favors from him or had favors to ask
left "presents" of a rather substantial character when they called. I
learn from an excellent authority that when an electric lighting
contract was let for Hankow or its suburbs a short time ago the
officials provided a squeeze for themselves of 10 per cent., but that
the Nanking officials, in arranging for electric lights there, didn't
even seem to care whether the plant worked at all or not: they were
anxious only to make a contract which would net them 35 per cent, of
the gross amount! Under such circumstances it is not surprising to
learn that many an office involving the handling of government
revenues has its price as definitely known as the price of stocks or
bonds.

In private business the Chinese have a reputation for honesty which
almost any other nation might envy. With their quickened spirit of
patriotism they will doubtless see to it that their public business is
relieved of the shameless disgrace that the "squeeze system" now
attaches to it.

These are some of the big new tasks to which awakened China is
addressing herself. Of course, the continued development of her
railways is no less important than any other matter I have mentioned,
but railway building cannot be regarded as one of China's really new
tasks. For years she has been alive to the importance of uniting the
people of the different provinces by means of more railways, more
telegraph lines, and better postal service. The increase in number of
pieces of mail handled from 20,000,000 pieces in 1902 to 30