This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be
returned to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.
CHINA
Decypher.
Sir R.Macleay, (Peking),
D.
R.
4.25 p.m.
3.0 p.m.
February 15th 1926.
February 15th 1926. February 15th 1926.
543
No.10.
Urgent.
CONFERENCE.
My telegram No.9 Conference.
Our main reasons for putting forward proposals
may be recapitulated as follows:.
1. We do not think debts could have been ex- cluded from more limited conference originally con- templated; they certainly cannot be ignored now. If we refused to discuss at all question of securing any further debt on customs we should probably wreck If without going so far the conference altogether. we deliberately abstain, notwithstanding qualifications of our delegation, from showing how in our opinion, reasonably adequate treatment of debt problem can be reconciled with out other proposals, we must expect clash between different proposals which is likely to prove fatal to the attainment of more altruistic objects we have chiefly at heart.
2. British interest in respect of unsecured and inadequately secured loans and of material debts
Could His Majesty's Government are substantial.
justify refusal to teke any action at conference to secure for them some measure of relief?
3.
Actual foreign control of customs revenues
once