<論説>津浦鉄道釐金局の廃止と復活 : 袁世凱政権の経済政策の性格

Abstract

袁世凱政権下の実業政策は、近代経済発展の一要因として注目されているが、実効性についてはなお検証されていない。本稿は、鉄道釐局の廃止から一転して復活に至る政府の対応を分析し、政策と実態との差を明らかにしようとするものである。 光緒二八(一九〇二) 年、湖広総督張之洞らは地方財源として盧漢鉄道(京漢鉄道) 通過の貨物に、従価二・五％の貨捐(釐金) を賦課した。以後「京漢成例」が幹線鉄道に適用され、輸送コストの増加と検査による遅延が近代的交通手段の致命傷となる。一九一二年末、江蘇都督が津浦鉄道への釐金賦課を中央に申請すると、交通部は「寓徴於運」(釐局を廃止し路局が運賃項目で釐金分を代理微収する) 方式を提議した。財政部、袁世凱臨時大総統ともに交通部案に同意して、鉄道釐局廃止案は一三年二月に国務会議を通過し、九月に津浦鉄道釐局の撤廃が実現したのである。しかし一五年三月、財政総長周学煕は財政部直轄による釐局の復活を申請し、袁大総統もただちに許可した。前後の変化を解明する手掛は六月に発生した交通弾劾事件である。この過程で周学煕はさらに、交通部要人を「抗捐」(釐金納付拒否) を理由に告発した。政界を震憾させた弾劾事件は、交通系要人が帝制支持にまわると同時に終結する。事件は、財政中央集権化の方針を表向の理由としつつ、帝制をもくろむ袁の暗黙の了解のもとで発動されたものであった。当該時期の経済政策は袁政権の政治的枠組に制約されていたのである。

The economic policies under the Yuan Shikai administration are considered to be one of the major factors that sped up economic development in modern China, but their effectiveness has not yet been proven. The aim of this paper is to study the changes of attitude on the part of Yuan's administration regarding the issue of taxation on railroad transportation. In the twenty-eighth year of Guangxu 光緒(1902), Zhang Zhidong, the governor general of Huguang 湖広総督, imposed a 2.5% ad velorem passage tax (lijin 釐金) on cargoes transported by the Luhan line 廬漢路 (京漢路) in order to increase local government revenues. This Jinghan system (Jinghan Chengli 京漢成例) was soon adopted by major railway lines, resulting in an increase in transportation costs, and delays in the circulation of goods and merchandise caused by inspection, flaws that could have been fatal to a modern transportation system. At the end of 1912, the governor of Jiangsu 江蘇都督 applied to the central government for permission to introduce a passage tax on the Jinpu Line. The Ministry of Transportation (Jiaotong bu交通部) then proposed that the liju ka 釐局卡 (lijin barrier) be abolished. In its place, lijin would be included in the regular railway fare, and would be collected by the luju 路局 (the system of "yu zheng yu yun寓徴於運".) President Yuan Shikai and the Finance Minister agreed to the proposal and a bill for the abolition of the railway liju was passed in the Guowu huiyi 国務会議 in February 1913. In September the Jinpu liju was closed down. In March 1915, however, Zhou Xuexi, the Minister of Finance, requested that the liju be restored and be placed under the direct control of the Finance Ministry. Yuan Shikai gave this proposal immediate approval. An important clue for this drastic change in policy can be found in the Transportation Scandal 交通大参案 that was uncovered in June. Zhou Xuexi accused high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Transporyation of refusing to hand over lijin (this refusal was called "kangjuan 抗捐").This scandal, which agitated the political world, came to a close as soon as the Ministry of Transportation officials announced their support for the restoration of the lmperial regime. The scandal had been carefully planned with the tacit approval of Yuan Shikai, who desired to be emperor, as well as with the intention of strengthening finances of the central government. Economic legislation of this period was basically determined within the framework of Yuan's political aspirations.