P
that the Telegraphs were a quasi commercial concern in
380
which private money was invested, but Your Lordship will,
I think, agree with me that now that the Telegraphs are in
process of becoming a purely Government concern it would
be most inadvisable for this Government to allow a portion
of the system to traverse a British Colony and a Chinese
to be Official/stationed in Hongkong to control and supervise
them. Even under the former conditions this Government
has on more than one occasion had cause to take notice of
the tendency on the part of the person in charge to
interfere in matters outside his duties as Telegraph
Supervisor.
Although the Telegraph Company
claimed the land upon which their office is located, before
the Land Court and their claim was allowed, no permission
has ever been granted to the Company to erect and maintain
its telegraph poles on Crown Land, and this Governrient
would be within its rights in sumarily ordering the
removal of the poles. With a view, however, to preserving
our friendly relations and to avoiding the appearance of
arbitrary action, I have the honour to request that Your
Lordship will move the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs to request His lajesty's inister at Peking to
take
?