234
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, MAY 30, 1913.
Enclosure in Memo from the Wai Chiao Pu dated May 7th, 1913.
Two ABBREVIATED RULES.
1. When any province purchases rifles, guns, ammunition, implements (of military use) or materials, the Tu Tu shall first be requested to send the draft agreement to the Ministry. Only after the latter's reply authorizing the purchase has been received may the agreement be ratified and money paid over. The Ministry will inform the Revenue Council, which shall instruct the Custom House concerned to examine and release the material ordered, while the Tu Tu shall issue a permit permitting its import. Where an order has been given without the consent of the Ministry, order to release the material will not be given.
2. When military forces directly under the Ministry of War need rifles, guns, ammuni- tion, implements (of military use) or materials to make up their requirements, the class of material required and its quantity shall first be reported to the Ministry, and the advance of money to purchase it shall be awaited, or the military force concerned will be instructed to give the order for the purchase itself, as the case may be. Prior to such order being given the draft agreement shall be sent to the Ministry; only after the latter's reply approv- ing of the purchase has been received is it permitted to actually ratify (the agreement). Except by following the above procedure military forces are forbidden to purchase war material on their own motion.
Circular.
No. 13.
BRITISH LEGATION, PEKING, May 13th, 1913.
SIR,-With reference to my Circular No. 26 of December 3rd last, I transmit to you herewith translation of a further Memorandum from the Wai Chiao Pu on the subject of foreign Loans.
You will observe that the Chinese Government decline to recognise any loans by public or private bodies in any part of China from foreign merchants, in which railways or mines which are the property of the State are given as security, without the consent of the Central Government having been obtained.
I would request you to bring this communication to the notice of British merchants residing within your district.
:
His Majesty's Consul-General, Canton.
Translation. Note.
I am, &c.,
J. N. JORDAN.
May 6th, 1913.
SIR,—I have the honour to observe that the late Manchu Government and that of the Republic have on many occasions informed the Diplomatic Body that in cases where foreign loans are made, whether by provincial officials for public requirements, or by merchants for undertaking railways or mines, the consent of the Central Government must be obtained, and the latter will officially inform the Diplomatic Body for purposes of record, and further, that the foreign merchant making the loan must first inform his Minister at Peking who will enquire whether the loan has the consent of the Chinese Government, only after which may the loan actually be paid over.
On the 30th November of last year a Presidential Order was received stating that it was essential that our financial plans should form an united whole, and that in future all matters concerning loans should come under the direction of the Minister of Finance. On the 2nd December the contents of this Order were communicated to all the Ministers at Peking and they were requested to inform merchants of their respective nationalities.
It is evident that the object of the Chinese Government in making the above repeated declarations as to the method of contracting loans throughout the country was, not merely to secure the solidity of our internal finances, but to protect the interests of foreign mer-