11.
129
despatch is thrt these recommendations should be
modified to the extent of using present accumulations,
dow to the time of launching any such scheme, for the
payment of admitted British claims and commercial debts
against the Chinese Government and Government departments.
14. It is contended by those who favour this diversion
of the acoumulated instalments that such a modifloation
of the original proposals need not affect the principles
of the recommendation of the Fillingdon Commission, but
only the amounts of the allocations made in accordance
with those principles, which would have to be re-arranged
pending the repaymont to the Boxer Indemnity Fund of the
loan made to China out of the Fund for payment of these
debte. It is suggested that, even if the loan were not
ultimately repudd, it would make little difference to the
general effect of the recommendations if, say, £250,000 in-
stead of £350,000 were to be spent annually on educational
work, thus providing sufficient from anmal incomings
to make up the endowment fund for the future.
15.
n the rough estimate given in paragraph 3 above,
our commercial debts and miscellaneous claims at present
*** amount