量
238
29.
Mr. Moss' views on inland waters
olause.
Canton tel. No. 74
Oct. 25, 1929. (p. 12 in 5Y).
Legation saying he favoured the modification
proposed by the Chinese. His argument was that
should the Agreement be succeeded by exolusion of
the British flag from inland waters, the probable
result would be that Hongkong British-flag steamers
on Kwangtung inland waters would transfer to the
Chinese flag voluntarily in order to obtain the same
privileges as their competitors, so that British
shipping in the district would be confined to sea-
going ships and bona fide British river steamers,
plying exclusively between Hongkong and treaty
ports. This situation would not prejudios the transport of British goods which could be carried
direct from Hongkong to more river ports than for-
merly: also it would olear up some of the diffi-
culties about pseudo-British vessels flying the
British flag. The modification would not affect
the system of issuing inland water certificates
to British-flag vessels at open ports in the two
Kwang provinces for trading to non-open ports,
and Hongkong British flag vessels would still be
able to obtain such certificates on application
at Treaty ports. The modification proposed would
therefore not seriously affect the present status
of British-flag vessels, while their future on
Chinese rivers depended on the issue of the com-
mercial treaty negotiations which might entail
Cancellation of the West River Regulations, a
question outside the scope of the Hongkong Agree- ment. (I quote these views fully, because I think
there is a lot of reason in them).
29. The Shanghai Chamber of Commerce at this
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