CO
36
44570
MECT
REGE 1 DEC 06
Seeking Ocrobu 13, 1906
Sir,
With reference to my dispatch of October 5th, enclosing a copy of my dispatch No. 390 to the Foreign Office, I have the honour to inclose for your information minutes of meetings held on October 8th and 10th between Mr. Bland and the Chinese negotiators on the Canton-Kowloon Railway final agreement, together with a copy of a draft special agreement, which was given to me last evening by Bland. This draft should be read in conjunction with the minutes. In an earlier draft which was submitted at the meeting of October 8th, Mr. Bland made reference to the Working Agreement to be concluded by Your Excellency with the Viceroy of Canton, and introduced provision to the effect that the two sections of the railway should be constructed as one continuous line without break. This form of wording was not acceptable to the Chinese negotiators, who also objected to the insertion of a definite limit of time within which negotiations for the through working agreement should be commenced, and the form given to Article 18 of my enclosed draft was substituted. I do not myself see objection to this Article 18, and Your Excellency will be able to accept it. As regards connection with the Canton-Hankow Railway, neither Bland nor myself consider that the Chinese negotiators would agree to include provision in the sense you desire, at any rate in the final loan agreement.
The stipulation regarding through traffic contained in Article 17 of the transmitted draft is, as you will see, embodied in Article 15 of my enclosed draft.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your Excellency's most obedient
humble servant,
Ed. J.N. Jordan
His Excellency
Sir A. Nathan
Page 36