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- 7.
Imports and Exports being also present.
He then
gave verbally to the members present a historical resume of the customs "blockade" of Hong Kong, leading up to the establishment of an office of the
Chinese Maritime Customs in this Colony. I
understand that this resumé followed closely the
lines of my own resume, which forms enclosure No.5.
in this despatch. Ir. Maze then referred to recent
smuggling activities and to his own proposal for reopening negotiations on the lines of the "Harris
agreement". He referred to the history of earlier
efforts to negotiate the "Harris agreement", and he
gave his idea of the benefits which Hong Kong trade
would derive from this agreement. The
representatives of the Hong Kong Government took
no part in the discussion, and very little was said
by the commercial members of the Chamber of Commerce;
but the Colonial Secretary carried away the impression that, while a few of the Hong Kong business men present regarded the proposals with favour, there was no indication as to the views of the majority.
9. On the morning of the 31st July Ir. Maze left Hong Kong for Shanghai, taking with him the redraft of the proposed agreement. He intends to place it before Mr. T.V. Soong, and he will let me
know as soon as possible whether the draft in its new form is acceptable to the Chinese Government.
10. I shall address you further on this subject as soon as I have been able to consult my Executive Council and local mercantile opinion; but my present
opinion