CO129-343 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1907 — Page 274

This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]

270

CHINA TRADE.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[3098]

(No. 512.) Sir,

No. 1.

[January 28.]

SECTION

C.O.

6411

REC?

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received January 28, 1907.)

REC 20 FEB 07, Peking, December 7, 1906. I HAVE the honour to transmit to you herewith copies of correspondence between His Majesty's Consul-General at Canton and myself respecting the unsatis- factory manner in which the bunding of the river frontage at that port is being

carried out.

Mr. Mansfield has addressed a representation to the Viceroy requesting that the work on the portion of the bund which lies in the vicinity of the British wharves should be done under the supervision of a foreign surveyor, and I have approved his action in

the matter.

The attitude of the Canton authorities in this case is, I am afraid, typical of what is going on in many other parts of the Empire. Instead of following the example of the Japanese and availing themselves of the services of foreigners until they are in a position to do the work equally well themselves, they decline to accept the advice and suggestions of trained experts who form a recognized branch of their own service.

Unless the present Viceroy pursues a more enlightened policy than his predecessor, there is little, chance, I fear, of gaining acceptance of the scheme for the repression of piracy, which I have been urging upon the attention of the Wai-wu Pu. If the Canton Government continues to ignore the existence of the customs in matters which properly appertain to them, it is not likely to delegate to them other functions which can scarcely be regarded as strictly falling within their province,

I have, &c.

(Signed) J. N. JORDAN,

Inclosure 1 in No. 1.

(No. 50.) Sir,

Consul-General Mansfield to Sir J. Jordan.

The

Canton, November 11, 1906. ARTICLE V of the Commercial Treaty of 1902 contains a provision for the improvement of the accommodation for shipping in the barbour of Canton. Some two years ago a scheme was inaugurated for constructing a line of bunding from the steamer wharves, near the old factory site, down the river the whole length of the South Wall of the city of Canton, A line was laid down by the Harbour-master, and a Committee of four Chinese officials were appointed Bunding Commissioners. It was calculated that the reclaiming of the large tracts of waste land, and the filling out of bays and indentations to the bund line, would realize sufficient funds to pay expenses. scheme was a good one, and properly carried out would have improved the harbour and afforded increased facilities to shipping and trade generally. Unfortunately the work bas been done in a most slovenly manner. No supervision, or at any rate no satisfactory supervision, has been given, with the result that, owing to inadequate piling and bad work generally, the bunding in two places has slid down into the river, and in others shows considerable sinking. It is even stated that in places loose stones have been dumped into the river to prevent the collapse of the bund, a proceeding which could only result eventually in causing the river to silt up further, reducing the channel, and doing away with the use of the bund. The work is now nearly approaching the river-steamer wharves, and in view of the facts above stated, and the very serious results to the British shipping trade which faulty construction of the bund in the vicinity of the wharves might have, I have thought it my duty to bring the matter strongly before the Viceroy, and intimate to him that I could not, in the interests of my nationals, consent to the work in this portion of the bund being done otherwise than under the supervision of a foreign surveyor. The position I have taken up seems a perfectly legitimate one, for Article V of the Mackay Treaty provides that the improvements to

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