Inclosure No 1 in Er Alston No 280 of July 10,1913
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Governor of Hongkong to H.M.Chargé d'Affaires
(JUL 28 (913) Hongkong.June 25,1913
Sir.
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I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
of your despatch of the 13th instant concerning the telegram which certain Chinese Merchants resident in Hongkong desired should be communicated to the Cabinet at Peking.
From my despatch of the 17th of May addressed to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, copy of which I sent you in my despatch of the 20th ultimo, you will have learned that my reason for asking you to communicate the telegram referred to to the Cabinet was to avoid the irregular and undesirable practice into which Chinese in this Colony have fallen of addressing themselves direct to the Chinese Government on politi- cal subjects.
I cannot prevent such irregular communication and I may add that I have found it impossible to stop the Chinese authorities in Canton from communicating direct with Chinese residents here not only on questims of Chinese politics but even on matters concerning the internal administration of this Colony. I therefore caused the principal members of the Chinese Commercial Community to be informed that if they wished to address the Chinese Government they should do it through this Government.
The message did not appear to me to be of a partisan nature since it merely supported the action of the constituted Government for the time being.
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