Y
114
slightest opposition. It seems only natural that the precedent established in other concessions should be followed in this.
"Moreover, though the Chinese Telegraphs are controlled by Officials, the Court, out of consideration for commerce permits the original holders of shares to retain them as formerly, so that the Chinese Telegraphs are still the property of private individuals. I therefore have decided to beg Your Excellency to reply to Sir Feihan Aarren, the Consul-General, asking him to request the Colonial Secretary, Hongkong, to consider the close friendship between England and China, and to allow this matter to be conducted on the lines which have been followed in all other concessions, and to permit the question of removing the Shen Shui F'u office to lapse, thus preserving uniformity and avoiding discrepancy. It will be a great thing for the Chinese Telegraph Administration and for trade generally,
As to the six months mentioned in your original letter, there is no record of such in the office of the Administration.
Having received this report, I carefully examined into the matter. The Chinese Telegraph Administration has for a long time past erected poles and established telegraph offices in concessions such as Shanghai, Tientsin, Weihai, and Ch'ingtao, without opposition, and it is a right which China should have. In the present case, Shen Shui F'u, being in the Kowloon Extension, leased as stated in the agreement, for ninety-nine years should, as a matter of course, be treated according to the precedent established in other concessions. Moreover, the shares in the Chinese Telegraphs are owned by private individuals, and the telegraphs are private property.
Besides, the establishment of offices and sending of telegrams cannot but be beneficial to the trading community.