[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.]
ZP
Decypher.
FROM CHIA.
Sir H. Lampson. (Peking),
May 1st, 1929.
D.
10.20.p.m. May 1st, 1929.
ཧ བན
La
5.40.p.m. May 1st, 1929.
No. 388.
29th.
Following received from Mr. Newton No. 84 April
Begins:-
My telegram No. 82.
Lockhart of Ministry of Railways has told me that
while Chinese fully appreciate that it is reasonable
that railway material bought with British Boxer indem-
nity funds should be of British manufacture there is
considerable danger that they will, unless this is made
a clear condition, in practice buy American material.
Belgian government made similar condition.
>
Wording of condition may require careful considera-
tion as it would seem inadvisable to insist rigidly on
the purchase of British material which might not be suit
able and similar in price to other foreign material. Lockhart believes however that generally speaking
British material fulfils these conditions. In drafting
terms of assurance another point for consideration will
be reference to material manufactured in parts of
British Empire other than Great Britain by whom alone money is of course being foregone. A Mr. Lewis of Reiss Massey and Company is, I believe, now in Peking to se- cure your support on behalf of Canadian enterprise in- terested in construction of Hankow-Canton railway.
Subject to suitability of type and price assurance should presumably cover not only railway or conservation material which you specifically mentioned but all foreign material bought with share of Boxer indemnity returned to China by Great Britain.