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- April 4，1884 Dear Rui Zhao，Xu Shi，Quan Li，Xin Ming，Thank you for taking the time to read my letter drafted on 17th last month. I hope everything is fine with you. I am writing to you today to reply to the printing business I was entrusted to do for you. It was completed before the end of last month and those printed materials were sent to you through Guan Tai Agency. I suppose you have already got them. The following is a detailed list: 1. Contribution Account Book: 150 copies, costs $30.75; Contribution Appealing Notice: 500 pieces, Name Card: 500 pieces, Contribution Receipt: 400 pieces, cost $13.00; Seal: 2 pieces, costs $0.80. The above had been paid by Guan Tai Agency on your behalf. I had asked the Agency to forward the invoices to you. 2. Printed on every page of the Contribution Account Book are each contributor’s Name, Native Place, Age, Address, Career. Please make sure each item is filled in truly by the contributor, no item could be omitted. 3. There are no Rules for Contribution printed on the Contribution Account Book. Instead a Contribution Appealing Notice can be pasted on the first page. I have done a sample, which was packed in the first package. The Contribution Account Book BLESSING No 1 has been made as a sample for serial number, you can follow this sample for the other remaining books. You can either put Directors’ names or seals of stores at the end of each Contribution Appealing Notice. 4. The two items: Date of Contribution, Name of Bank where contribution is deposited are neither printed on the Contribution Account Book. Please fill in on site. 5. Please don’t push too much for the final date of contribution, which could be set at the end of June. A frequently updated list of contributors should be posted outside the office of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in Victoria. No mistake could be made as to arouse any doubt and complaint. Sincerity and trust are the basics for the benefits of our people. If there is anything that you feel hard to solve, please ask for advice from the office of the Consul-General. 6. Your proposal that a management fee be levied on each Chinese intending to go back to China, and transit duty on goods imported by Chinese has been forwarded to the Consul-General. His advice is that these two items are not appropriate to be included this time, they can be initiated later when the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in Victoria is established. 7. I was recently told by Mr. Zhou Ze zhou that you would propose to cancel the wording: eliminating the discriminating laws and taxes. I assume that you have a misunderstanding here, just because the only law that could not pass is one that prohibits Chinese from entering Canada, other laws as head tax and the one that prohibits Chinese from smoking cigarettes might be passed next Spring. In San Francisco, the new law regulates that every Chinese has to pay $50 annually. Victoria is certain to follow. This is a big problem for Chinese. You should get every Chinese informed and prepare for their active contribution as to fight against the discriminating law. 8. When contribution begins, a frequently updated report detailing breakdown of sums of money contributed by Victoria merchants and other Chinese communities should be delivered to me so that I could have full knowledge. One specially assigned person should be in charge of this report. 9. With regard to the Constitution of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in Victoria I shall inform you as soon as I hear any news of it. Best regards on behalf of the Office of Consul-General in Francisco Huang Jun Quan
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