CO129-337 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1906 — Page 583

574

#

also imputes blame for the redemption loan undertaking.

This is really extraordinary; but he goes on to slander the Hunan officers holding posts in Hupei for taking opportunity to grasp gain and destroying the public interests. Ke ignores the fact that as the redemption loan fund passed through the hands of the Envoy to America there was no gain for Hupei officers or Hunan gentry to get. The Hunan gentleman ex-Civil Board official Yeh To-hul after the loan question was dropped, came to Hupai and being apprehensive lest the difficulty of finding money should delay the work lamented the mistaken policy of abandoning the loan. The Board Secretary in question was certainly no Hupei roving If the recovery of the railway is called the ruin of public interests one wonders what stop would be thought a safeguarding of those interests.

subordinate.

5.

The original memorial states:-

"The said Viceroy's further agreement for English *loan purports to be with the Hongkong Government; but it is reported that there is a supplementary compact "indirectly promising privileges and that he took on "himself to give the English consul a despatch to the "effect that should China necd further loans England *should come first, if machinery and materials were "bought abroad English manufacturers must first be applied

It is also reported that the said Viceroy has "promised that the engineers for building the line shall be partly English partly Japanese, which gives others a "loophole".

"to.

19

}