CO129-334 - Governor Nathan - 1906 [5-7] — Page 70

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Translation of an Extract from the "She Van Po"

of 2nd. April, 1906.

The Canton-Amoy Railway Scheme,'

67

The Canton-Amoy Railway is the main line joining the two pro-

vince of Kwong Tung and Fokien.! H.E. Cheung Pat-sz, about the Sth.or

7th. moon last year, discussed with Viceroy Shur the method of its

construction. They drew up 21 general regulations which have been sanc-

tioned by Their Imperial Majesties through the Board of Commerce. On receipt of a telegram in reply from the Eoard in the 10th, moon,. H.E.

Cheung left Cantor en route to different places, first to Whampoa, and

then to Tsang Shing, Tung Kun, Shek Lang, Fok Lo, Hoi Fung, Luk Fung, Chiu Chau, Swaton, Fokien (Foochow), and Amoy, and took with him survey-

ors and engineers to survey the route. When this task was completed

in the 2nd. moon of the present year, he interviewed Viceroy Shum and

proposed to him that Whampoa should be opened as a treaty port, there

is ample room in the neighbourhood. It is near the water, which is of

considerable depth, and the steamers plying between Hongkong and Canton

pase it. He proposed that the construction of the first section between

Centon and Ahampoe should immediately be out in hand, and that, in the

reantime, en enbankrent should be erected at Whampoa for the purpose

of opening it as an international treaty port. Besides a very large

railway station, there should be built houses in European style, busi- ness premises, Government offices, Godowns and wharves. All these should

be carried out after the precedent in Shan Tung, where there is a treaty port opened by (China) herself, where all nations are at liberty to carry on business and their ships can freely lie at anchor and be load-

el or unloaded. The estimated cost of opening this treaty port, which

will extend more than 30 li along the line of railway will be between 900,000 and 900,000 Laels including cost of land and meterials. At first. it was proposed to divide the estimated cost for this and the railway into 9,000 shares of 100 teels each and to invile the Forfer

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