PERSONAL
Fri 14
42
69
16 June, 1930.
My absence from town on a short holiday has
prevented my sending an earlier reply to your letter of the
30th of May, in which you wrote to me about the negotiations
now in progress between the Government of Hong Kong and the
Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs.
I was interested to read the extract from the
letter from Swires. I admit that the position at present is
one of considerable difficulty, and I am in general agreement
with the view expressed in your letter that the principle of
giving all reasonable assistance to the Chinese Customs is
one which should be accepted by the Hong Kong Government;
but, of course, you will realise that there are considerations
on their side also which should be borne in mind.
The position briefly is that, with the considerable
increases in the Chinese Tariff, the Chinese Customs found
reason to suspect that considerable smuggling was being
developed of dutiable goods from Hong Kong into China.
They
accordingly