+
i
C
2.
as instancing minor difficulties connected with our proposal, that he had already received protest against closing of customs from French interests
concerned with export of silk.
Belgian Minister concurred with French Minister.
The Swedish Minister said that he had no
authority to prevent Swedish ships loading and discharging goods otherwise than through customs
but he supported our proposal and would be prepared
573
to do all he could in way of advising and encouraglig
his shipping to respect customs authority.
United States 1inister expressed entire
sympathy with our proposal and he concurred in view
that shipping and discharging of cargo through
illegal strike committee involved defiance of
Jurisdiction of legally constituted Chinese govern-
ment customs; he was not however prepared to
answer question as to how far United States
authorities could lend their support to that juris-
diction; he felt there should be no difficulty in
inducing American shipping to respect customs
authorities but he could give no guarantee on
matter.
Japanese Minister concurred with United States
Minister.
Case. for our proposal was put very fully and
to dispel suspicions which seemed to exist that we were trying to get other powers to pull our chestnuts
out