[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]__
CHINA
CONFIDENTIAL.
F 799/336/10]
[March 3.]
со
SECTION 3.
18538 No. RED
SUMMARY OF PROCeedings at ConferENCE OF AGOART
BRITISH CHAMBERS OF
COMMERCE IN CHINA AND HONG KONG. SHANGHAI, NOVEMBER 3-6, 1920.
(Extracts from “ British Chamber of Commerce Journal,” Shanghai, December 1920.
(Received in Foreign Office, March 3, 1921.))
THE LEGATION AND THE CHAMBERS.
FOLLOWING the precedent set last year, when Sir John Jordan, then His Majesty's Minister at Peking, was invited to the conference, His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires, Mr. Clive, was invited to be present on this occasion. The conference opened with a resolution expressing the Associated Chambers' gratification at his readiness, and that of His Majesty's Naval Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Duff, to attend and in the following speech Mr. Clive, after thanking the chambers for their invitation, dealt with the relation of the Legation to the association and its work.
Mr. Clive said: "Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I thank you for your welcome. It is very agreeable for whoever is in charge of His Majesty's Legation, even though that charge be only a temporary one, to feel that he represents and has the support of a strong and united community. I have served in several countries, but I think I may safely say that in no one of them have I found a British community so numerous and so important as the present British community in China of which you gentlemen gathered here to-day from all corners of this vast country are among the leading representatives.
You will, 1 feel sure, make allowances for a new-comer, who, on the one hand, has had no experience in the art of public speaking, and on the other, feels consider- able diffidence in addressing this representative gathering of old China hands.
At the same time I am moved by the thought that I have the opportunity of meeting you, of hearing your views, and of speaking to you in this model settlement of Shanghai which owes so much to British energy and initiative.
I am very happy also to welcome the delegates from Hong Kong, whose presence I have no doubt will be additionally welcome to you by the recollection of the prominent part they took in last year's conference. Moreover, it is only on this occasion that members of His Majesty's Legation have an opportunity of meeting the representatives of the Crown colony for the discussion of our common interests.
"I was working in the Foreign Office at the time of your conference last November, and as I read the minutes in London I little thought that I should have the honour of being present when next you met. but I can assure you my interest could hardly have been greater had I foreseen my presence here to-day. The minutes of the last conference will stand as an abiding record of thoughtful and constructive work conceived according to the best traditions of our race. His Majesty's Govern- ment had under consideration at that time the whole question of the solidarity of British communities throughout the world; and I can assure you that those who were studying the question were deeply impressed by the very real evidence of the solidarity existing in China.
"I have read your draft agenda for the present conference, and I see there are some subjects which were before you last year. On some I fear there is not much progress to record. Currency reform and the removal of inland taxation are two of the fundamental questions which vitally affect every mercantile interest in this country, whether foreign or Chinese. As regards the latter, I cannot help feeling that we must find some practical way of showing the Chinese that the abolition of inland taxation is not as difficult as it seems on the surface and that it would pay all
concerned.
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