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.]
FROM
(FT
NA
Decypher.
Sir M. Lampson, (Peking).
4th May, 1929.
D.
6.55 p.m.
4th May, 1929.
R.
3.5 p.m.
4th May, 1929.
No. 409.
22
# # # 1 IT TO 19 II # # 16 15 35 1 1 1 1 1 # ## ## # #
My telegram No. 389.
"
I have been approached by Mr. Lewis, Director of Reiss
Massey & Company, representatives in China of Norther
Construction Company of Montreal, Vancouver and London who are anxious to obtain contract for the completion of Canton-
Hankow Railway. Lewis has communicated copy of a letter to him from Minister of Railways promising favourable considera- tion of Company's application and alluding to possibility that British Boxer Indemnity funds may be employed for com- pletion of railway. Lewis enquires whether His Majesty's
Government will agree to the release of a portion of these
funds for the purpose stated. He states that Company would
be prepared to finance a portion of the contract themselves
against which railway bonds would be issued secured on Boxer
funds this to be in the nature of a private transaction and not a public loan. Company would be willing to commence operations if an official assurance could be given that funds would be eventually forthcoming from Boxer Indemnity. A "fair proportion" of money would be used in purchasing raw
materials in Great Britain. Copy of his letter goes via
Siberia.
There seem to me the following objections to giving the
desired assurance to Lewis:
(1)/