245
36.
(p.31 in 5 Y)
Shanghai Chamber's views on new draft agreement as a whole.
(p.1 & 3 in 5Y 1930)
Canton No. 192 of January 12th. 1929 (p.4 in 5Y)
List of vessels on Inland waters of two Kyang provinces.
that the limitation of inland water privileges
to Chinese-flag vessels, by eliminating a possible
source of friction in regard to vessels under the
British flag owned by persons of Chinese race,
would be an advantage rather than a disadvantage,
and that the agreement should be accepted on general
grounds of policy alone.
38. The Joint Committee of the Shanghai Chamber
of Commerce and China Association expressed the
view that there would be no reaction detrimental
to British interests should Chins refuse to accept
the Hongkong draft and should Hongkong refuse to
alter it, that the modification of clause 5 as
suggested by Mr. Maze would be detrimental to our
position as regards coastal and inland navigation,
and that while Article 10 was of minor importance,
the total omission of Article 5 might be consider-
ed as tantamount to an admission that the Chinese
Customs had the right to function in Hongkong on
their own terms.
The Joint Committee also
observed that the functioning of the Customs at
Hongkong would to all intents and purposes give
the colony a Treaty Port status, which should
automatically include inland water navigation
rights.
39. Mr. Moss forwarded a list showing the enor-
mous preponderance of Chinese vessels under Inland
Vater certificates on the waters of the two Kwang
provinces over foreign-flag (including British)
vessels. The British and other foreign ves-
sels were all engaged in some particular trade,
such as oil tenders or tobacco lighters; the
/great