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IMPORTANT EDICTS AND GOVERNMENT CHANGES. 31thing about their cooperation being the way in whichthey had managed to set at rest the growing enmitybetween Peking and the provinces. At the end ofAugust an Imperial Decree laid down a nine-yearprogramme for constitutional reform, its stages being asfollows :First Year. Opening of Local Self-GovernmentCouncils, enactment of self-government regulations, adjustment of finances, and taking of a census.Second Year. Putting in force of Local Self-GovernmeutElectoral Law, announcement of regulationsfor parliamentary representation, investigation ofprovincial revenues, organization of Courts of Justice.Third Year. Convocation of Parliamentary Representation Councils, promulgation of new Criminallaw, experimental government budget, regulationsfor official recommendations and fees.Fourth Year. Promulgation of Local Court Laws.Fifth Year. Issue of new regulations for Taxation andannouncement of new Government organizations.Sixth Year. Commencement of Administrative Justice, adoption of a Budget.Seventh Year. Preparation of Accounts of Government Revenue and Expenditure.Eighth Year. Fixing of Imperial Household Expenditure, establishment of Judicial Bureau, andissue of Statistics.Ninth Year. Announcement of the Imperial Constitution and the Imperial Household Law, promulgation of Election Law.This programme stands to-day, and isbeing followedas closely as circumstances will permit.H. E. Tang Shao-yi left Shanghai on the 3rd ofOctober, 1908, on his double mission to the United States-and Europe. In the U. S. A. he was charged with thetask of .conveying to Washington China s thanks for herrelease from: the .obligation to pay that portion of theBoxer Indemnity Fund that had been overcharged to