228
19.
Hongkong No. 2. May 27, 1911 (Canton-Kowloon Rly. 43, 1911).
It was admitted that the con- cessions were reciprocal, but generally in favour of the
Chinese.
To Hongkong June 15, 1911 (ibid).
Hongkong des- patch Sept.13, 1911, para. 9 and 10 (ibid).
Governor sought the assistance of the
Legation, and was at some pains to point out
the various ways in which the Colonial Govern-
ment were being obliging to the Chinese, amongst
others in the matter of the Customs agreement,
which had been drafted and was being pressed
by the Commissioner, a servant of the Chinese
Government. Sir John Jordan said he thought
the W.W.P. had probably never heard of this
draft agreement, and this indeed proved to
be the case when he mentioned it to them in
June 1911. In the end the Customs claus es
of the dailway agreement, providing for
the establishment of Customs offices and the
collection of duties at the Lowloon terminal,
were incorporated in the Railway Working
Agreement itself, and Hongkong's interest
in the Customs Agreement consequently evapora-
ted, and the matter was dropped, the Governor observing that if the Viceroy of Canton were to press it later, Hongkong would want more
favourable terms.
17. In the following years the Hongkong Government still appeared anxious to conclude an agreement and in 1916 the Legation began pressing the Chinese Government to sign one at the instance of Hongkong. The Government in Peking were shilly-shallying, and inclined to try and introduce amendments to weaken the concessions granted to Hongkong in the 1911 draft, but finally the Legation persuaded them to accept the Harris agreement as it then stood (much the same, as far as I can
/make