Y.
C
449
10837
Fact
Notes of a private conversation with Mr. Mayer APR 10
Mr. Mayers on his return frem Canten came
again to see me and spent about an hour in conversation. He had
seen Mr. Wong, Engineer-in-Chief of the Canten-Hankow line. The
work is good and they admit to £10,000 a mile, but Mr. Weng says i
he does not see how the line can ever pay. There are 7 American
Engineers on the line (of whom one Gaspar appeared to be an
amenable and intelligent man), one British (Haslop) and several
Japanese. 54 miles are now open, and 100 more under construct-
-ion.
2.
Mr. Mayers considered it essential that this
line should join up with the Canton-Kewloon; and informed me
that he would advocate it at once in Peking. The survey has
already been made, but there is a questien as to which Railway
should pay for it and construct it. The Hankow line are not
keen about it, and are being harassed by a Commissioner from Peking who is examining expenditure. The Kowloon-Canton Railway
have no funds at all to spare. It will cost about £40,000. I
asked him whether he thought that an offer of a lean by this
Government would be acceptable, seeing that we would be willing
to make it on very easy terms, and without any elaborate
negotiations. For my part I thought such a loan would be an
extremely valuable investment by this Government, and would give
us a valuable lever for future negotiations. He appeared to
think it worth trying. He had intended, I think, to offer it on
behalf of the British and Chinese Corporation but would I
gathered be willing to stand aside if we came forward, and
instead the British and Chinese Corporation would propose a
lean fer an extension to Weichow.
3.
He traversed (on a trolley or construction
train) 15 miles of the Kowloon-Canton-Railway. He broached the
subject of the Working Agreement to Mr. Wei Han, who said it had nothing to do with him, and was between the two Governments,