This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
HINA RAILWAYS.
CONFIDENTIAL.
17898]
No. 177.)
ir,
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received June 3.)
239
[June 3.]
SECTION 3.
Peking, April 15, 1907.
I HAVE the honour to transmit to you herewith copy of a despatch from His lajesty's Consul-General at Chengtu regarding the maladministration connected with he affairs of the Szechuan-Hankow Railway.
The reports which reach me from all parts of the country show clearly that the hinese, while fully determined to resist the construction of railways under foreign aspices, are not likely, by themselves, to attain much success in enterprises requiring mited effort and honesty of administration for some years to come.
The Kalgan Railway, the only one which is progressing, under native manage- ment, owes much of its success in construction to foreign expert advice, and has had he advantage of being financed by the surplus funds of the Northern Railway. But Sherever attempts are being made to construct and finance railways by purely native methods there is always the same story of misappropriation of funds and ineffectual emonstrances from disappointed shareholders. It may be hoped that an experience abortive efforts of this kind will, in time, convince the people and the Government f the wisdom of having recourse to foreign financial and expert assistance, but it east be confessed that there is still little indication of any change in public opinion.
I have, &c.
(Signed) J. N. JORDAN.
No. 18.)
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
Acting Consul-General Fox to Sir J. Jordan,
Chengtu, March 15, 1907. I HAVE the honour to inclose précis translation of a pamphlet recently issued or private circulation by a number of Szechuanese students in Japan, criticizing the resent official administration of the Szechuan-Hankow Railway, and suggesting jarious reforms. Of these the principal is the total elimination of official control; but he authors, whose language throughout the pamphlet is unusually moderate and easonable, make no attempt to solve the all-important problem as to how the recon- ructed Company, with a present nominal capital of only 5,000,000 taels, is, without nancial or expert outside assistance, to accomplish the construction of a great ailway, the cost of which is estimated at 50,000,000 taels.
With the pamphlet was issued a placard couched in somewhat violent language, hich, apostrophizing the officials as wolves and tigers, charged them with embezzling he railway funds, and called on the people of Szechuan to take the control of the ilway into their own hands. The pamphlet was, believe, privately circulated mong the students of the Imperial College, but the placard was apparently seized by he authorities, as it has not been seen in the city.
Mr. Hu Chun, whose return from abroad I reported in my despatch No. 9 of he 7th February, informed me, in the course of a recent interview, that the Railway dministration had no intention of contracting a foreign loan, that they had no inten- on of contracting a foreign loan, that they had ample funds in hand to commence de construction of the line, but that this could not be done until the return of the ngineer-in-Chief, Hu Tung Chiao. This gentleman, who has been engaged for the st two months in making a final survey of the line, reached Kuei Fu on the 6th stant, and is not expected here until the end of July.
In the meantime, I learn on good authority, that Shen Taotai has resigned his rectorship of the railway, and that the entire control of the administration is now in
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