息借商款与晚清财政

Interest-Bearing Commercial Loans and Late Qing Finance

息借商款是甲午战争期间清政府举办的内债。其利率设计、印票发行、还款来源仿照同一时期清政府外债模式。息借商款采用重点借款方式,侧重在发达地区、口岸城市向金融商借债,海关二元系统参与到债券销售或还款程序中。所借款项绝大多数在甲午战争结束后才逐渐解交户部,未直接用于战事。因户部设定借款额度,且一些省份直接由政府出面经营借款,难免出现摊派抑勒之弊。但因有海关二元系统的独特作用,有海关税收保障还款,息借商款除少数改作工厂股本或捐输外,大部分得以如期偿还。

Interest-bearing commercial loans were domestic debts issued by the Qing government during the first Sino-Japanese War.Their interest rate,the issuance of printed notes documenting the loan,and the sources of repayment were copied from the Qing government's foreign debts at the time.The loans focused on borrowing from merchants in the developed areas and port cities,with the dual maritime customs system being applied to bond sales and repayments.The great majority of the borrowed money was delivered to the Ministry of Revenue after the war rather than being directly used for the purposes of the war.Because the Ministry of Revenue set the amount of the loans and because local governments in some provinces appropriated loan administration,arbitrary apportionment and extortion were inescapable.However,owing to the unique functioning of the dual maritime customs system,the repayments were guaranteed by customs revenue.Except for a handful that became factory equity or were retained as donations,the loans were repaid on schedule.