[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government:]
2
Houpeh, au sud du tronçon du Canton-Hankow au nord du tronçon du Sench'oan- Hankow.
A l'heure actuelle, on a imprimé les conditions de l'émission et de la souscription des titres. On a également discuté la question de l'organisation d'une loterie pour se procurer des fonds à l'exemple de ce qui se passe en Anhui.
Les actionnaires seront tous appelés marchands et tous seront actionnaires sans établir de distinctions entre Mandarins, Notables, marchands, gens du peuple, gens de la province, gens des autres provinces.
Les fonds d'État qui pourraient être engagés dans l'entreprise seront considérés comme des titres ordinaires, ne conférant aucun pouvoir spécial et ne donnant droit à aucune allocation extraordinaire de dividendes. On ne s'occupera pas davantage de la personnalité des actionnaires; on ne considérera que le nombre de titres.
La chose principale est l'emploi de capitaux Chinois afin de se conformer aux premières décisions.
Les actions souscrites seront payées en trois fois les fonds versées seront immédiatement productifs d'intérêts à payer à époques régulières. Les établissements monétaires officiels seront chargés des paiements.
Ainsi les marchands et le peuple aurout confiance.
Depuis plus d'un mois on s'aperçoit ici, et ailleurs que les marchands mettent beaucoup d'empressement à souscrire les titres.
J'expédie au Shang-Pu les règlements concernant la réunion des capitaux nécessaires à l'entreprise. D'autres rapports seront adressés à vos Majestés lors de la construction de la voic.
Il convient, &c.
CHINA RAILWAYS,
CONFIDENTIAL.
[4395]
8373
[February 9.]
SECTION 1.
No
JRG 6 MAR 07
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received February 9, 1907.)
(No. 541.) Sir,
Peking, December 23, 1906. WITH reference to Sir E. Satow's despatch No. 183 of the 17th April, I have the honour to inclose for your information copies of correspondence relating to the proposed employment of British engineers on the Canton-Hankow Railway,
It will be remembered that in March last the Viceroy Chang desired to engage an engineer for the special duty of resurveying the trace of this railway, and asked His Majesty's Consul-General at Hankow to ascertain whether Mr. Kinder would be willing to undertake the work and on what terms. Mr. Kinder, who was on leave in England, telegraphed his terms, which were acceptable to the Viceroy, but he naturally made the new engagement subject to the sanction of the Viceroy of Chihli, Yuan Shih-k'ai, under whom he is serving as Engineer-in-chief of the Northern Railways. This condition created a difficulty. The Viceroy Yuan was prepared, if Mr. Kinder would first come to Tien-tsin and make it clear that his services could be spared, to agree to his employment on the Canton-Hankow Railway for two or three months, but this arrangement did not apparently suit the wishes of the Viceroy Chang, who displayed an unusual anxiety to hurry on the survey, and hinted that he might have to employ a Japanese engineer already engaged for the Szechuan-Hankow Railway if Mr. Kinder's arrival was delayed.
On the 4th June Mr. Fraser was informed that, on account of the internal quarrels of the Chinese Company which is supposed to be undertaking the Kwangtung section, the Viceroy Chang had decided to have nothing to do with the line beyond Yo-chou, and that the question of employing Mr. Kinder should therefore be allowed to drop, it being understood that the senior of the three Japanese engineers engaged for the Hupei section of the Szechuan-Hankow Railway would probably resurvey the short section of the Canton-Hankow which lies in Hupei Province. As Mr. Kinder, when passing through Hankow in June, had expressed à disinclination to undertake any survey unless he was satisfied that the construction of the Hupei and Hunan sections would follow within a reasonable time and be intrusted to an engineer approved by him, Mr. Fraser did not press the question with the Viceroy. In September, however, his Excellency again approached Mr. Fraser to secure the services of Mr. Kinder, and on being told of the latter's views, the matter remained in abeyance until the 26th October, when the Viceroy sent his Secretary to Mr. Fraser with a note and message, which are summarised in Inclosure No. 5. It appeared from these that his Excellency intended to acquiesce in doings of the Kwangtung Company, which were inconsistent with the spirit of his engagements of the 9th September, 1905, to us.
I telegraphed my approval of the language used by Mr. Fraser in reply to this note, and instructed him to warn the Viceroy from me that the proposed action of the Kwangtung Company would at once be considered another step in the repudiation movement which had already attracted the serious attention of His Majesty's Govern- ment. At the same time I telegraphed to His Majesty's Consul-General for information, and received the reply given in Inclosure No. 7, according to which it appeared that the Chinese Chief Engineer of the Kwangtung Company was favourable to the appoint. ment of an Englishman, and that a promise had been given to consider the papers of a gentleman whose name had been proposed by the Governor of Hong Kong.
Mr. Fraser's despatches of the 29th and 30th October, the 8th and 23rd November, and the 1st December, describe in detail the discussions which have taken place with the Viceroy Chang during the past two months on the subject of the employment of British engineers in Hupei, and, taken together with Mr. Kinder's private letter to me of the 6th December, appear to show that an English engineer of sufficient experience and standing cannot be induced to do what the Viceroy requires on the terms and conditions offered.
I have, &c. (Signed)
J. N. JORDAN.
(2368 -1]
B
381
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