CO129-343 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1907 — Page 172

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Faritime Customs.

o make technical difficulties

and to con tend that the duty should rest with the

territorial officials alone was to ignore their

or neglect failure in the past and the insecurity from which

ritish trade was obviously suffering, It was not

urged that a large number of foreigners should be

employed, but that, 3r the Chinese Tovernment wished

Se inspire Porei,mers with confidence to their

. emedial measures, they should place the control

of them in the hands of the Customs.

After much fencing Their Excellencles

consented to telegraph to the "ce

'aceroy Chou Tu to

consult with the Commissioner of Puston . I

pointed out that it was necessary to bend come

definita instructions as to the ling which the

Viceroy should take, and aacured Their Rcellencies

that nothing short of the sourate schiene suggested

would serve to stop piracy or to satisfy 18

Majesty's Government.

+

At a later interview on Tag-aber 11th the

Arand Secretary dh'u Yong-hi informed me that the

Viceroy had telegraphed a reply objecting to the

proposal for Customs control on two grounds:

(1)

that it was injurious to China's sovereign

rights to delegate a futy of this kind to a semi-

foreign institution, und (3) that such a dolega***

tion would only tond to make the territorial

authorities disregard their responsibilities for

the maintaḥame or pouco and order.

I made it

lain