90
3
In fact, it was originally intended by
Hongkong that the clauses of the Canton-
Kowloon agreement, providing for collec-
tion of duties by the Customs at the Kow-
loon terminal, should not be embodied in
that agreement, but in the separate Customs
agreement, to be negotiated simultaneously.
When, however, the Canton-Kowloon Working
Agreement was satisfactorily negotiated,
the Hongkong Government dropped the Cus-
toms negotiations. These were during the
succeeding years revived again, but always
between Hongkong and the representatives
of the Customs. In the years 1916 to
1918, however, the Legation was more de-
finitely drawn into the picture in the
endeavour to persuade the Chinese Govern-
ment to accept the so-called Harris agree-
ment, which the Governor, Sir H. May, was
then again anxious to conclude. When
after a lot of shilly-shallying on the part
of the Chinese Government and the putting
forward of futile amendments by various
departments, the Legation had finally
persuaded the Chinese to accept it, and
obtained the F.0.'s consent to signature,
the Hongkong Government (Sir H. May
having been replaced by Mr. Severn as
O.A.G. and Sir E. Stubbs later as
Governor) made a volte-face and stated
they no longer wished to sign, princi-
pally on the ground that they could not
agree to tax salt, which had from the
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