PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference:
C.O. 882
6 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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"Since Ch'en Kuang (the the Railway Company, whose General Manager at once replied. proposed Chief Engineer) cannot come back to Canton, we ought to yield and engage a foreign engineer, but we ask Your Excellency to enquire on behalf what salary the foreigner wants. Yesterday the Company elected Ilo Lien Chau as second engineer, and we asked Taotai Wen to secure Your Excellency's approval of this election in a personal interview, and we are now obediently awaiting it."
The "Sze Man Pao," however, does not approve of these steps at all and says, after enumerating the different railways built by foreigners, that all these railways are still under the influence of foreigners, and that if once foreign engineers are engaged for the Canton- Hankow Railway then this line also will come under foreign influence. Therefore it should be the ambition of the Cantonese to build the railway themselves without foreign help.
EXTRACT from "THE HONG KONG DAILY PRESS," July 27, 1906.
CANTON-HANKOW RAILWAY.
BELGIAN ENGINEER PROPOSED.
Our Canton correspondent, writing on the 25th instant, says: -It is reported that His Excellency Viceroy Shum has received a telegram from Sheng Kung-pao, Director of Railways, recommending the engagement of a Belgian engineer to superintend the construction of the Canton-Hankow Railway. Viceroy Shum immediately communicated the matter to the local directors, who replied that they had no objection to make, assuming that neither of the Chinese engineers, Chim Tin-yau or Kwong Shum-mow was able to come south. The directors asked the Viceroy what remuneration the Belgian engineer would expect.
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No. 279.
GOVERNOR SIR M. NATHAN to THE EARL OF ELGIN. (Received 9.24 a.m., August 28, 1906.)
(Paraphrase.)
TELEGRAM.
[Copy to Foreign Office, September 4, 1906. L.F.]
Referring to my despatch of 26th July,* Canton-Kowloon Railway, follow- ing telegram sent by me to His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires :--
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"Referring to your despatch of 4th of August. Consul-General and I have endeavoured to (?) induce Viceroy to negotiate working agreement, but he has declined to do so until Peking negotiations settled.
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'Under these circumstances loan agreement should provide that rail- way is to be constructed so as to admit of being worked without break as one line with British railway from Kowloon now under construction and so as to connect with Canton-Hankow line. Also it should embody Article 17 of printed draft loan agreement. It should further provide for negotiation of working agreement between Viceroy and self being commenced within one month of loan agreement being signed.
"Before it is executed I wish to see the new draft loan agreement."
No. 280.
GOVERNOR SIR M. NATHAN to THE EARL OF ELGIN. (Received September 10, 1906.)
(Secret.)
MY LORD,
Government House, Hong Kong, August 3, 1906. REFERRING to my secret despatch of the 27th of July, 1906,† on the subject of the proposed engagement of a Belgian engineer to superintend the construction of the Canton-Hankow Railway, I have the honour to enclose extracts from the issues of the "Hong Kong Daily Press" and "South China Morning Post" news- papors for the 1st of August, and a copy of a private letter, dated the 2nd instant,
† No. 278.
• No. 276.
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from the Consul-General, Canton, from which your Lordship will see that this engagement has been abandoned, at any rate, for the present.
I have, &c.,
Enclosure 1 in No. 280.
M. NATHAN.
EXTRACT from "THE HONG KONG DAILY PRESS," August 1st.
CHINESE BAILWAY ENGINEER APPOINTED.
It appears that the Canton-Hankow Railway will be after all constructed under the guidance of a Chinese engineer. A few days ago Sheng Kung-pao recommended a Belgian engineer, and it seemed as if the merchants were decided to engage him, but they had not reckoned with the Viceroy's anwavering patriotism. It is reported that in reply to a wire received by H.E. the Viceroy from Yuen Shi-kai, in which the latter offered the assistance of the Chinese engineer Kwong Sheung-mow, Viceroy Shum has immediately wired accepting same, and has informed engineer Kwong that the people of Kwangtung will receive him with open arms.
EXTRACT from "THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST," August 1st.
THE RAILWAY.
Canton, July 30,
Viceroy Yuen Shih Kai has approved of Kwong Sing Chee, the Assistant Engineer-in-Chief of the King-Cheung Railway, being transferred to the Canton-Hankow Railway. Yesterday the Director sent a telegrain to Kwong asking him to hasten his departure for Canton, and also bring with him Mr. Ngan, the former construction engineer in the Canton-Hankow Railway, when it was managed by the Americans.
Enclosure 2 in No. 280.
COPY of Letter from CONSUL-GENERAL, Canton.
DEAR SIR MATTHEW,
Canton, August 2, 1906. A LINE in haste to tell you that I wrote to the Viceroy transmitting to him your protest against the employment of a Belgian as engineer of the Canton-Hankow Railway. At the same time I wrote privately at length to Taotai Weu, who has just called. He says the Viceroy has really nothing to do with the appointment, which lies entirely with the directors of the line. He tells me, however, that the appoint- ment of the Belgian was only entertained because it was believed that neither of the two reliable Chinese railway engineers, Kwong and Chemo I think they are called, were available. A telegram has, however, just been received, Yuan Shih Kai, that Kwong can be spared for the work, so that the Belgian, who was No. 2 under Jadot on the Peking-Hankow line and is now in Europe, will not be required. I suggested that it is utterly foolish not to get a first-rate man, and mentioned Kinder, who is known out here as a thoroughly honest man, and whose work in the north has been thoroughly tested, and proved first class. He says the shareholders are very keen on the line being built and run by none but Chinese if possible.
Yours sincerely,
R. W. MANSFIELD
P.S. Of course I warned Weu that if any foreigner but an Englishman was employed there would be trouble.
R. W. M.
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No. 281.
GOVERNOR SIR M. NATHAN to THE EARL OF ELGIN. (Received September 10, 1906.)
(Secret.)
MY LORD,
Government House, Hong Kong, August 9, 1906.
IN continuation of my secret despatch of the 27th of July,* dealing with a
• No. 277.
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