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induced to accept more than some formula fixing its status
as purely unofficial.
The Chinese Administration apparent-
ly possess the right of sending messages without charge from Victoria to the old Kowloon frontier and, so far as Chine
is concerned, all that Hongkong could claim would be in res-
poot of traffic along the line between the old and new from
tiers. Any further modification of rates would have to
be made in conjunction with the Company, whose important
interests entitle them to be consulted as a prelimimry
to any negotiations.
I took advantage of an interview on the 19th.
instant with Sheng kung pao to sound him on the subject, an
opportunity for doing so having presented itself in connec-
tion with the Canton-Kowloon Railway Working Agreement which
I was discussing with His Excellency. After advorting to
the undesirable amomly presented by a Chinese owned line
in British territory, I informed him that the conversion of
the Telegraphs into a Govoriacent concern had changed the com
plexion of the situation and had raised the question of the
removal of the Chinese office from Hongkong.
It was, I
dimintained, obviously incompatible with the status of long-
kong