The Tariff Autonomy Movement During The Age Of The Northern Government

The basic clue of this paper is to probe the rise of the concept of tariff autonomy during the age of the Northern Government and to sketch out the process of the Tariff Autonomy Movement from its beginning to its climax.Taking the remarks and activities of the International Law Equality Society as an example, Chapter one briefly discusses the rise of the concept of tariff autonomy and its role and influence on the Tariff Autonomy Movement during the age of the Northern Government. Chapter Two is mainly concerned with the Chinese delegation's endeavour for tariff autonomy and its inaccuracy in the Washington Conference and traces the Special Tariff Conference's (or the Customs Conference) origin or its treaty ground. In adition, the author reconstructs some historical facts that have been frequently overlooked in the academic circle in this chapter. The reconstruction includes the tendency originated in the Northern Government to break through the Washington Treaty's restrictions, and the Northern Government's effort to avoid the Gold Franc Issue for the convention of the Special Tariff Conference.The Costoms Conference's commitment is explicitly stipulated in the Washington Treaty, but the nation-wide awakening of the concept of tarriffautonomy which emerged in the movement of abolishing unequal treaties had made it an unanimous appeal to expand its commitment. Thus, in the chapter three, the author studies the external force which caused the Northern Government's breakthrough of the Customs Conference's commitments beyond the Northern Government's effort. That is the May 30 Movement's role on the Tariff Autonomy Movement during the age of the Northern Government, hi order to insight the interim government's activity for the tariff autonomy, the author narrates its preparatory work for the Special Tariff Conference.The core of this paper - the Chinese delegation's attempt for the tariff autonomy in the Customs Conference, is studied and its sole outcome -"the resolution of tariff autonomy", is analysized. The author holds that the delegation's endeavour and "the resolution of tariff" autonomy" should not be appraised hi terms of the losses in comparison with the succeeding Kuo Min Tang Government's achievement of "the movement of amend new treaty", instead, they should be appraised in light of the former administrations' gains in their efforts to win tariff autonomy. Even the abolition of likin was reasonably thought to be the precondition of the going into effect of the Chinese National Tariff Law, we should not in any way regard it as a complete failure. On the contrary, the achievements made by the delagation, however slight they might be, must be postively reassessed at least partially.The last chapter briefly explains the influences of public responses and activities on the Special Tariff Conference. The author holds that the influences are doublefolded - they lead to the climax of the Tariff Autonomy Movement during the reign of Northern Government, and after the Resolution of Tarriff Autonomy, they caused the nominal existence and substantial termination of the Customs Conference.