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expense. A railway constructed from this port, when
completed, to Fatshan on the Canton-Sanshui line would
measure only fifty miles, which is half the distance of
the Canton-Kowloon railway; further it could pass through
Canton and connect with the Canton-Hankow railway, or
4
For
follow the West River into Kwangsi, Yunnan, and Kueichow.
Therefore the prosperity of Chungshan would also mean the
prosperity of South China, Hongkong alone could not
fail to fall lower and lower on account of this. Therefore
if this unfortunate proposal is passed, it will be no
different from harming oneself to advantage others.
which reason I respectfully submit a motion that the
construction of a Customs station in Kowloon for the
collection of duty should be stopped, that, further, plans
should be made to enlarge the scope of anti-smuggling
measures, and that additional Customs stations and barriers
should be constructed in the territory's free port in
order to remedy the malpractices of smugling, and duty-
evasion, and to bring prosperity to Canton and South China".
The Motion was passed as follows:-
1)
2)
The negotiations of the Ministry of Finance
with the Hongkong Government regarding the
establishment of a customs station at Kowloon for
the collection of duty are very detrimental to the
national economy and must be abandoned.
The construction of the free port of Chungshan,
being an important plan for the development of the
economic wealth of the people of South China, should
be completed as quickly as possible by the National
Government.