51 -
being British and Japanese. He did not rule out the
suggestion, but said he would think it over (Peking telegram to Foreign Office No.47 of 7th January).
56. The question of the unconditional grant of the Washington surtaxes now dropped into the background: but on the 12th January Mr. Lo Wen-kan, the newly appoint- ed Minister of Justice at Peking, called on Sir M. Lampson and said that his Government proposed to levy
the Tashington surtaxes at once. Next day's Peking Gazette contained three mandates, dated the 12th
January.
(a) The first recalled the fact that at the Special Tariff Conference the Powers agreed to enforce a national tariff as from the 1st January, 1929, rave instructions for detailed plans to be drawn up with that end in view, and further instructed the Ministry of Finance at an early date to devise suitable means for abolishing likin dues.
(b) The second instructed the Ministry of Finence and the Revenue Council to collect the Tashington sur- taxes as from the 1st February this year. As regards the interim tariff pending the enforcement of the national tariff, the Tai-chiao-pu was instructed with- out delay to press for the reopening of the Special Tariff Conference.
(c) The third mandate instructed the Ministry of Finance in concert with the other Ministries concerned to draw up the appropriate plans for collecting the surtaxes and the increases from the interim tariff, for the abolition of likin, for the settlement of
internal
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