E
15
Company was recognised by the Government, who at the
same time desired to ensure for themselves an efficient
and disinterested service for the future, by the grant in
1881 of a concession for twenty years to the former
company, the principal object of which was to prevent any
divergence of interests from arising between the Chine se
Government and the company.
The extension of the services necessitating a duplica-
tion of the Shanghai-Hong kong cable, the companies jointly
were requested to execute the scheme with a proviso that
•
the Eastern Extension Company should lay the cable in
pursuance of a promise made to them in 1870 by the Chinese
Government. The two companies thereby became partners in
the concession originally granted to the Danish Company
and have since further amalgamated their interests.
About this period the attitude of the Chinese towards
the telegraph changed considerably and a Joint Stock
Company under the auspices of the chinese Government was
formed for the construction of land lines in the interior,
with the special object of connecting overland the Chinese
seaports with Shanghai and Hong Kong respectively.
Secure, as they believed, under their concession, the
companies assisted the new Telegraph Administration to the
best of their ability and under an agreement signed at
Shanghai on March 31, 1883 (further articles being adde d
on may 7, 1883) undertook to grant facilities for the
administration over the Companies' line in Hong Kong and
for the establishment of a Chinese Telegraph office in
Hong Kong in return for similar facilities in connection
wit. the Administrations' Lines from shanghai. (Flagged A
in volume annexed).
The...