[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
Co
1798
RECE REPAR 088.1
SECTION 1.
[42353]
No. 1.
(No. 532.) Sir,
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received December 28.)
Peking, November 13, 1907, THE negotiations between the Agent-General of the Peking Syndicate and the representatives of the Province of Shansi, upon which I had the honour to report in my despatch No. 510 of the 30th ultimo, have been continued since that date in two meetings held on the 4th and 9th instant.
From Mr. Brown's minutes of thesc Conferences, copy of which I have the honour to inclose, it will be seen that the Shansi gentry have continued to press for redemption of the Concession, while the Provincial Judge has used his influence in favour of the Syndicate in upholding its right to fix the amount of compensation to be paid.
The proposal for co-operation has been repeatedly made by Mr. Brown, but the provincials refuse to discuss it. As far as they are concerned, the only solution desired is to redeem the Concession as cheaply as they can.
During the past week I have discussed the matter with Prince Ching and the Ministers of the Wai-wu Pu, and have urged them to use their influence to prevent the pecuniary sacrifice involved by repurchase and to persuade the Provincial Bureau of Commerce to co-operate. While they do not deny that the province will probably do nothing to develop its mineral resources after such redemption, they seem now to favour repurchase as the line of least resistance, and to regard the possibility of Shansi being guided by reason as remote. Since I saw two of the Ministers on the 29th ultimo, the Board has not fulfilled its promise to communicate with Ting Ta-jên, the Provincial Judge, but they engaged yesterday to send for him before the next meeting, fixed for the 16th instant, and to consider how they could best intervene in this question.
I have, &c. (Signed) J. N. JORDAN.
* Not printed.
[2769 ee-1]
324