A Reforming Emperor.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 476, 31 May 1890, Page 4

A Reforming Emperor.

From the decrees of the young Emperor of China, which appear in the ‘Pekin Gazotto,’ it seems that he has entered on a career of energetic reform. He is inquiring into every department of the administration, and is issuing peremptory orders for the removal of abuses. Quito lately a decree requiting periodical returns of the strength of tho army, in order to prevent officers from drawing pay for troops which did not exist was published Among still later decrees is one abolishing a large number of unnecessary boards in the provinces, which came into existence during the Taiping rebellion, and were maintained merely to find places for highly - connected persons. The Emperor now demands that whatever work thay do is to bo done elsewhere, and those which it may be absolutely necessary to retain ars to bo specially reported, with the reasons for their retention and the cost. In another decree lie roundly lectures the Pekin officials for their laziness, and orders the heads of all departments to attend regularly to their duties. Then he attacks the Pekin police for their corruption and connivance with criminals, and says that the capital would be a model city if the police did their duty. The instructions in existence would be quite sufficient if they were obeyed. His majesty threatens that 4 should there be any recurrence after this warning, of the lax habits of duty, and cotinivanes with crime hitherto practised by tho police, wo shall certainly punish without mercy both the commanding officers and their subordinates.’ Another decree of the same date deals with tho police of the province in the same trenchant fashion. Discharged soldiers, who largely swell the ranks of crime, are to bo returned to their home 3 safely, and bodyguards are in future to be refused to all high officials moving from one port to another. That these decrees are not to be mere dead letters is shown by the circumstance that on the day succeeding the issue of that relating to the Pekin police all tho gambling and opium dens in the capital were closed.