513
industry, to which I have already referred and it is
doubtful whether the consumption for this purpose would be
sufficient to justify expenditure on the works necessary
for extending the area of the salt-pana.
16. The answer to the question as to the lines
on which the administration of Weihaiwei should be carried
on in future depends on the answer to the question whether it is the intention of His Majesty's Government to continue to treat the territory as something of an encumbrance, on which as little money as possible should be spent, or to change the previous policy and endeavour to develop such possibilities as it possesses.
17.
If economy is to be the primary object aimed
at, there are three courses to be considered, leaving out
of account the idea of entire abandonment, on which point
I assume that no expression of my views is desired.
These three courses are:-
(A) To abandon the mainland, retaining only the
Island of Liu Kung Tao.
(B) To retain the Island and a strip of the mainland
slightly larger than the present district of
Port Edward.
(0) To retain the territory as it exists at present,
incurring only such expense as is essential to
efficiency.
18. (A) I am not sure that the alternative of abandoning the mainland and retaining the island is possible It is quite likely that the Government of China would either refuse to receive back the mainland or would agree only on condition that the island also was returned. There has, so far as I know, been no suggestion from the Chinese Goverment that they desire the retrocession of the territory and it is easy to imagine reasons for their not desiring it at present. If, however, an offer were made to return the mainland, it is more than probable that they
would