62
56
in 55897/19
17188120
wishes of that Government and under the instructions of
Hie linjesty's Secretary of State for Foreign affairs.
Up to the date of Sir H. kay's departure from
Hongkong, in the latter part of 1918, the Colonial Govern-
ment continued to show a keen desire for the conclusion of
the agrement, and the first intimation received by this
Legation of a change of colicy was contained in a telegram
from Ir. Severn, the Officer administering the Hongkong
Government, dated December,20th 1918, proposing that the
signsture of the agreement be postponed but without giving
any reason for this request. No definite statement with
regard to the changed attitude of the Bongkong Government
was communicated to the Legation until the receipt of Fr.
bavera's deppatoh of April 28th, 1919, by which date hotes
had already been exchanged by this Legation and the ai
Chino Pu formally accepting the draft agreement as finally
amended and arranging that it should be signed by the
Inspector General and His kajesty's Minister on behalf of
the Governments concerned.
The grounds on which the Hongkong Government have based their sudden decision to withdraw from the negotia-
tions are set forth in r. Severn's despatch of april 28th,
1919, of which a copy was enclosed in Sir John Jordan's
No.276 of June 16th, 1919, and in Sir R. Stubbs' despatch
of February 2th, 1920 to the Colonial Office to which
reference is made in Your Lordship's despatch under noknow.
leigamunt. In an informal note dated February 21st 1921 Gir
R. Stubbe has stated his visus with still renter emphasis,
laying mecial stress on the argument that one result of
the proposed agreement would be to increase the price of
Galt to the poorer classes in liongkong,
Without attempting to criticise in detail the
ransons