638
TOME
The
TOO
to eojuhi Saldu noire gi 10% Ived ston 10.7 e " 3 menn vo“ nescidi evi. Ino. Laborirong orid to awolv * ut HaW 3 nem Saouutise onom ust anotë?\noo -Toteoly Iskonivord
Shanghai anking Railway's Loan Agreement could not be made applicable to the present negotiations. He contested the validity of the preliminary agreement because the corporation was not entrusted with the construction of the entire line from Canton to Kowloon city, maintaining that the building of the railway between these two points by the Corporation was an essential condition of that agreement, whereas it now appeared that the Corporation was only concerned with the section in Chinese territory. He claimed for the Chinese Government the same discretionary powers as those exercised by the Hong Kong Government.
814
MR. BLAND in reply stated that at the time of sanctioning the preliminary agreement of March 1899, the Chinese Government was fully aware that the Corporation's construction rights were limited to Chinese territory, that the expression "British claimed Kowloon" in Clause 1 of that Agreement could only mean the frontier of the leased territory and was never intended to mean Kowloon city.
Ty the concession granted in September 1898 the Corporation was given the right to finance and build a Chinese Railway in Chinese territory on terms not less favourable than the Luhan concession; several points had already been conceded to meet the views of the Chinese Government and in view of conditions admittedly altered since that date, but H.E.'s present proposals were tantamount to denial of all rights and advantages under the concession.
H.E. Tang Shao-Yi, after consultation with the Canton Viceroy's delegates, stated that the terms offered could not be further modified and Mr. Bland, being unable to accept them, undertook to report the situation to the Board and to convey their reply in due course.
The meeting then proceeded to consider the remaining clauses of the Canton Viceroy's proposals.
Article 10. To discussion to #met ex lalo nedan: Il-gar" ynsî .4.H kerenat
Article 11.