138
(3)
contrary to the principle of the China Indemnity (Applica-
tion) Act, 1925, which has laid down that the purposes of
the Fund are to be settled by the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs after consultation with an Advisory Commit-
tee, on which there shall be at least two Chinese members,
(there were subsoquently three). The present Advisory
Committee would certainly never recommend such a policy to
the Secretary of State, and they do not believe that any
Committee, having suitable and representative Chinese mem-
bers, would ever recommend it. Further, Sir C. Clementi's
proposals would be contrary to Sir Austen Chamberlain's own
pledge, published on May 26th, and broadcast throughout China, that he would agree to the establishment of a Board
of Trustees, and endeavour to secure Parliament's approval
thereto. The Governor's proposals, therefore, would im-
ply a reversal of the policy hitherto followed by His Majes-
ty's Government, a repeal of the Act of 1925, and the scrap-
ping or the recommendations of the Willingdon Delegation and
of the Buxton Committee, which recommendations have now been
published and have received on the whole a fair measure of
approval here and in China.
It may be well to deal seriatim with the points raised
in Sir C. Clementi's despatch, and the Committee call atten
tion to the following points:-
Para. 1.