[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
CHINA TRADE,
CONFIDENTIAL.
No. 1.
170
[May 7.]
SECTION 1.
(No. 130.) Sir,
The Marquess of Lansdowne to Mr. Townley.
Foreign Office, May 7, 1903.
IN my despatch No. 5, Treaty, of to-day's date, I am forwarding to you the King's ratification of the Treaty which was signed between Great Britain and China at Shanghae on the 5th September, 1902.
The Chinese Government have, however, not yet furnished you with the information which you were instructed in my despatch No. 260 of the 15th December, 1902, and in my telegram No. 58 of the 17th April, to endeavour to obtain from them.
The following were the points on which information was requested :-
1. The methods and procedure which the Chinese Government intend to adopt for levying the consumption tax.
2. The incidence of the excise on machine-made goods, and the procedure for the refund of import duties and surtax on articles used in the production of such goods.
3. The actual amounts of the remittances which the provinces will be required to make to Peking out of the surtax funds.
4. You were also to endeavour to obtain the lists of native custom-houses and native opium stations referred to in sections 3 and 5 of Article VIII of the Treaty.
It is important that before the ratifications are exchanged satisfactory replies should be received from the Chinese Government respecting these points, especially 3 and 4, but it is, nevertheless, not desirable that the ratification of the Treaty should be indefinitely delayed.
Should the Chinese Government, therefore, not have furnished replies by the time that this despatch reaches you, I request that you will at once report to me by telegraph how the matter stands, and further instructions will then be sent to you.
I am, &c.
LANSDOWNE.
(Signed)
[2004 g-1]
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.)
CHINA TRADE,
CONFIDENTIAL.
No. 1.
170
[May 7.]
SECTION 1.
(No. 130.) Sir,
The Marquess of Lansdowne to Mr. Townley.
Foreign Office, May 7, 1903. IN my despatch No. 5, Treaty, of to-day's date, I am forwarding to you the King's ratification of the Treaty which was signed between Great Britain and China at Shanghae on the 5th September, 1902.
The Chinese Government have, however, not yet furnished you with the infor- mation which you were instructed in my despatch No. 260 of the 15th December, 1902, and in my telegram No. 58 of the 17th April, to endeavour to obtain from them.
The following were the points on which information was requested :-
1. The methods and procedure which the Chinese Government intend to adopt for levying the consumption tax.
2. The incidence of the excise on machine-made goods, and the procedure for the refund of import duties and surtax on articles used in the production of such goods.
3. The actual amounts of the remittances which the provinces will be required
to make to Peking out of the surtax funds.
4. You were also to endeavour to obtain the lists of native custom-houses and native opium stations referred to in sections 3 and 5 of Article VIII of the Treaty.
It is important that before the ratifications are exchanged satisfactory replies should be received from the Chinese Government respecting these points, especially 3 and 4, but it is, nevertheless, not desirable that the ratification of the Treaty should be indefinitely delayed.
Should the Chinese Government, therefore, not have furnished replies by the time that this despatch reaches you, I request that you will at once report to me by telegraph how the matter stands, and further instructions will then be sent to you.
I am, &c.
LANSDOWNE.
(Signed)
[2004 g-1]
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.