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letter of the 10th instant was written.
The
Resident Engineer of the British Section of
the Canton-Kowloon Railway, in discussing the
prospects of the line, has expressed the opin-
ion that "it would pay the Chinese much bet-
ter and suit the general feeling in the coun-
try more if the Chinese section of the Kowloon-
Canton Railway were worked as a branch of the
Canton-Hankow Railway". If this arrangement
is ultimately adopted, the disadvantage to
the Hong Kong line (already alluded to in my
former letter) of having foreign officials
in positions of control at Canton might be-
come very serious.
5. In view of these considerations,
and having given his most careful attenti on
to the question, Lord Elgin regrets that he
cannot intimate his concurrence in the pro-
posed course of action which appears to him
to
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