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ascertain confidentially whether Sheng desired to undertake the negotiations for a final agreement, but the latter let it be known that he would say nothing on the subject until he was approached officially, and the question had therefore been left in abeyance.
As the draft loan agreement together with the draft proposed agreement between the Government of Hongkong and the Chinese Government for the joint working of the line between Canton and Port Kowloon are long legal documents, the import of which is not to be gathered from a hasty perusal, I requested Mr. Ross to furnish me with an outline of the proposals of which he is the bearer; this I could have put into Chinese, and I would then discuss with the Foreign Board the choice of a negotiator. I think it might possibly be found easier to come to an agreement with the Viceroy of Canton than with Sheng Kung-pao, but the question must largely depend on the view taken by the Foreign Board.
There are two points in the proposed agreement for joint working which call for remark.
Paragraph 3 (page 38) provides that the construction of the two sections shall proceed simultaneously and at such a rate of progress as to be completed and ready to be open at the same time. Mr. Ross informs me however that the 101 miles or thereabouts from Canton to the frontier of the leased territory would take about two years to build while the British portion from Port Kowloon, measuring 24 miles, could not be constructed in much under four years owing to the difficult nature of the ground, which will require a good deal of tunnelling.
Possibly the Chinese portion might take a little longer and the British portion a little less than was at present estimated, but there would certainly be a considerable difference in the time required for the two.
This statement has an important bearing on paragraph 16 which provides for the division of the net profits in proportion to the actual cost incurred by the two Governments, in which outlay the cost of land for...
and
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ascertain confidentially whether Sheng desired to
undertake the negotiations for a final agreement,
but the latter let it be known that he would say
nothing on the subject until he was approached of-
ficially, and the question had therefore been left
in abeyance.
As the draft loan agreement together with the
draft proposed agreement between the Government of
Hongkong and the Chinese Government for the joint
working of the line between Canton and Port Kowloon
are long legal documents, the import of which is not
to be gathered from a hasty perusal, I requested Mr.
Ross to furnish me with an outline of the proposals
of which he is the bearer; this I could have put into
Chinese, and I would then discuss with the Foreign
Board the choice of a negotiator. I think it might
possibly be found easier to come to an agreement with
the Viceroy of Canton than with Sheng Kung-pao, but
the question must largely depend on the view taken
by the Foreign Board.
There are two points in the proposed agreement
for joint working which call for remark.
Paragraph 3 (page 38) provides that the con-
struction of the two sections shall proceed simul-
taneously and at such a rate of progress as to be
completed and ready to be open at the same time. Mr.
Ross informs me however that the 101 miles or there-
abouts from Canton to the frontier of the leased
territory would take about two years to build while
the British portion from Port Kowloon, measuring 24
miles, could not be constructed in much under four
years owing to the difficult nature of the ground,
which will require a good deal of tunnelling.
Possi-
bly the Chinese portion might take a little longer
and the British portion a little less than was at
present estimated, but there would certainly be a
considerable difference in the time required for the
two.
This statement has an important bearing on para-
graph 16 which provides for the division of the net
profits in proportion to the actual cost incurred by
the two Governments, in which outlay the cost of land
for
and
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