在新制度推行中,人們往往難以擺脫以往制度運行中所形成的認知和經驗的影響,從而傾向于利用原有的行為邏輯和觀念習性來應對新情形。民國初年被視為中國鹽務近代化的長蘆鹽業自由貿易改革,其運作過程實際上反映的是近代新舊制度、東西方思想之間的博弈與互動。來自英國的丁恩試圖將西方"自由競爭"的經濟理念帶入中國鹽業以增加中央政府鹽稅收入,但在長期專商壟斷、官商勾結的中國鹽政體制下,這一改革主張并未能輕易達成。事實上,以張弧為首的中國官員與商人,利用前清鹽業舊制的邏輯來包裝新政策,借自由貿易之名,行包商壟斷之實。他們先是通過頒發販鹽特許證的形式,使"自由貿易"在表面上得以開展,又以租辦方式私下從舊商手中壟斷特許證,并通過組織長利公司進行經營,成為新包商,"包攬轉運之利"。

When implementing new institutions,men are often restrained by perceptions and experiences gained from the practice of old institutions,so that they tend to use previous logics and ideas to deal with new conditions. The free trade reform in Changlu salt business was regarded as the modernization of Chinese salt business in the early Republican period.The process of this reform illustrates the negotiation and interaction between the new and old institutions and between the Eastern and Western thoughts in modern China. Richard Dane from Britain tried to introduce the Western economic idea of"free competition"to the Chinese salt business in order to increase the income of the central government from salt tax,but in the salt business system then monopolized by merchants with officials’ patronage,Dane’s reform could not be achieved easily. In fact,some Chinese officials and merchants,represented by Zhang Hu,interpreted the new policy with the logic of old salt business in the Qing period,so as to resume their monopoly in the name of free trade. They issued certificates forsalt trade to merchants to implement the so-called"free trade"and then rented the certificates in private to monopolize the salt trade. They established Changli Company as a new monopolist for the salt business to exploit profits from the trade.