St
Telegram from the Governor of Hongkong to the Secretary
of State for the Colonies. Dated 1st November.
(Received Colonial Office 5.59 p.m. 1st November 1926)
Instructions were given by the Inspector of Customs at
Peking to Canton Customs Commission(ers) not to assist
in the collection of the new taxes unless assented to by
the Powers. Powers now intend to make a joint protest
against these taxes which therefore Canton Commission(ers)
will presumably not be authorised to collect. Consequently proposed intimation by Brenan to the Canton Government that we will acquiesce in taxes on condition
that they are collected by the Customs would neither
enable the Commission(ers) to collect them nor offer
anything tangible to the Canton Government. In the se
circumstances I submit that the proposed intimation is
very inadvisable and would dissociate us from other Powers to no purpose. Repeated to Peking Telegram No.28 of the 1st November.