£
456
46
would doubtless tend greatly to facilitate business if the use of private codes could be sanctioned.
It is hoped that these points can be laid before His Majesty's Minister with a view to urging the Foreign Office to consider the question, and, if possible, grant the further concession suggested.
W. Meyrick Hewlett, Esq,
SIR,
H.M Acting Consul-General.
I have, &c.,
H. A. J. MACRAY,
Vice-Chairman.
Acting Consul-General to Shanghai Brunch.
H.M. Consulate-General,
Shanghai, 14th November, 1914,
I beg to inform you that a copy of your letter of 10th instant concerning the use of telegraphic codes by British firms has been forwarded to His Majesty's Minister at Peking.
H. A. J. Macray, Esq., Vice-Chairman,
China Association, Shanghai.
SIR,
I am, &c.,
W. MEYRICK HEWLETT,
Acting Consul-General.
China Association, to Foreign Office.
China Association,
99, Cannon Street, E.C.,
25th January, 1915.
On the 18th September last year this Association had the honour of addressing you on the subject of reduction in telegraph rates for commercial messages to and from the Far East, unless the use of cypher messages could be authorised.
My Committee, since then, have been in communication with the Cable Companies and the Secretary to the Post Office, and, while acknowledging the courtesy with which their suggestions have been received, regret that the concessions obtained so far bave gone but a small way to relieve the onerous burden on British trade imposed by the regulations at present in force.
47
We are informed that these regulations cannot be modified without the sanction of the Chief Censor; we have no desire to ask for any change which will in the slightest degree endanger the public welfare, but, just as the concessions already made have, to a small extent given relief to British trade without detriment to the public safety, no we believe that further relief, which is urgently called for, may be given with safety. In these circumstances my Committee, therefore, venture to appeal to His Majesty's Government.
Permission has been granted for the use of a limited number of public telegraph codes, which number, my Committee think, might be increased with advantage.
It is not permitted to use a registered code address to and from the Chinese Treaty ports, although this privilege is granted to British Colonies; it is still necessary to sign all messages. We submit that the use of a registered address can only mean that the message is from the registered sender to the registered recipient, that the signature of the former is superfluous and should no longer be required.
The British subjects resident in the Treaty ports of China are under British jurisdiction; they may reasonably claim the same terms as British Colonies, even if the Censor may have reasons for not granting the same privileges to all nationalities.
The concession referred to above, though very small, is appreciable, considering that every word used in address and signature costs 3s. 6d.
My Committee would further submit, for the consideration of His Majesty's Government, that the time has come when regulations should be framed under which British merchants be allowed to use their own private codes in telegraphing to the Far East. If it be maintained that ill-disposed persons might attempt to make use of this concession to convey information to the enemy, we submit that regulations could be made and the concession be subject to guarantees which would safeguard the public interest more effectively than under present conditions. There is nothing to prevent the present users of public codes from devising a double set of meanings to the cyphers contained therein, or arranging for plain English words, or sentences, meanings which on their face they do not bear.
My Committee would suggest that:—
(a) a special license be granted to British subjects at home and in China to use their private codes, for which a fee might be charged, accompanied by a monetary guarantee against misuse of the license.
(b) That a special copy of any private code used be deposited with the Censor.
(e) That a surcharge of 10% on the cost of all messages by private code be made to cover the expenses incurred by the Censor in checking telegrams. If this