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that the phraseology of the Article was adopted with particular reference to the case of Indo-China. The Article, however, goes on to state that "the States concerned will apply in the cases referred to above a regime which will respect the principles of the present Statute and facilitate transit and communications as far as praoticable",
His Majesty's Goverment are of opinion that the existing regime applied to goods in transit across Indo-China cannot be said either to respect the principle of the Barcelona Statute or to facilitate transit.
VI. In view of the above considerations H.M. Government ask on the grounds furnished by the Freedom of Transit Convention, the Washington Treaties and the treatment accorded to French trade in transit across H.M. territories in the part of the world concerned, ®.ɛ., Hongkong where no transit, dass whatever are charged:
(1) that the dues which are at present charged on goods passing in transit across Tonking via the Haiphong Yunnan Railway, whether from or to British territories, should be abolished or redused to such amounts as would be requisite to cover the expenses of supervision and administration entailed by such transit provided that the existing droits de statistique and other similar dusa are not already sufficient to do this, (2) that any prohibitions or restrictions upon the goods
which may be sent across Tonking by the Haiphong Yunnan Railway which are not in accordance with the exceptions to the general rule of freedom allowed by Article & of the Freedom of Transit Convention should be removed,
(3) that the formalities to be observed in connection
with this transit traffic should be simplified
/and
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