373 C.O
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
CHINA RAILWAYS,
CONFIDENTIAL
[38088)
No. 1.
21
REP
October 15. JAN 10
SECTION 1.
Sir J. Jordon to Sir Edward Grey.--(Received October 15.)
(Telegraphic.) P.
(No. 168.)
SOUTH Manchurian Railway settlements.
Peking, October 15, 1909.
The Russian Minister here tells me that Japanese sentiment is on the side of the Russian Department of Finance as against the Russian Foreign Office in the matter of resisting any modification of the regulations governing the settlement at Harbin, and I am inclined to think that a protest by us regarding the Japanese settlement regulations would, if formulated at the present moment, lead to official action being taken by the Japanese in the above sense.
I venture therefore to suggest that we should reserve our action until the negotia- tions with the Russians shall have resulted in a revision of the Harbin regulations, when we might urge on the Japanese the desirability of placing the administration of their settlements on the South Manchurian line on the same basis as that adopted by the Russians.
Should you, however, consider it advisable to make immediate representations to the Japanese, I would advise, in reply to your telegram No. 169 of the 13th instant, that we confine our formal objections to articles 3 and 8 of the regulations in question.
[2471 p-1]
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