:
Cu PUTAS
206
p.161 o.227
p.277 No.316
3 p.233 No .268
the Hongkong Mercantile Firms complain of all these
restrictions in the correspondence forwarded by Mr.
Bax Ironside on the 25th May 1899; but it was de-
cided by the Foreign Office that the Chinese govern-
ment could not be pressed to amend the Regulations as
desired in Hong Kong, but only to amend the Regulations where unjust i.e. differential treatment against
British trade could be proved.
In the despatch conveying the above decision
to Mr.Bax Ironside was enclosed a Memorandum by Mr.G.
Jamieson submitting & proposal for obviating the res- trictions objected to by the Shipping Companies so
far as concerns steamers running between Canton and
Wuc how. His proposal is that "all steamers running
between Canton and Wuchow should be permitted to
register under the Inland Navigation Regulations,
and pay duties under the local Provincial Adminia-
tration on all cargo that does not claim Treaty
privileges; and conversely that the present licensed
steamers plying from Canton be at liberty to trade
at all the Riveriwe Treaty ports, so long in each
case as they confine themselves to inland waters"
(1.9., in this case, that they keep to the West
River).
It is considered that the above proposal is
& good one and I understand that its acceptance in
an extended form so as to cover all the ports on the
West River is now being pressed upon the Chinese
Government.
Apparently
I