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Sir and dear Colleague,
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Herr von Buri to M. Siffert.
Shanghue, July 15, 1907. REGARDING the letter addressed to the Senior Consul by the Dean of the Diplomatic Body, dated Peking, June 6th, concerning the Whangpu Conservancy Board, in which it was stated that Board should be requested to furnish the Consular Body with a detailed working scheme of the entire river conservancy, together with an estimate of costs, I beg to make the following observations. The question, "If the works have been carried out with diligence, care, and economy," can, in my opinion, only be answered when one is able, by the light of a working scheme, to pass in review not only the different works already executed, but also those to be executed in due order, and in their relation to and bearing upon one another, and when, by means of an estimate of costs, it is shown how the means at the disposal of the Board are to be distributed on the different parts of the work. Speaking quite generally, there is, without such a working scheme, a danger that too much money might be spent on a particular part of the work to the detriment of the river conservancy as a whole.
The working scheme would, in particular, have to show that the waterway in the ship channel, which has been much altered and deepened since the original project was put forward (see Quarterly Reports of the Whangpu Conservancy Board), will not, by the working and appliances used in carrying out the work, become so narrowed as to endanger shipping, or even be blocked before the new waterway is open.
You will oblige me by circulating this letter, so that the matter may be discussed at the next Consular meeting.
I have, &c.
VON BURI, Consul-General for Germany.
(Signed)
Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Niemorandum on some Questions connected with the Improvement of the Whangpu. [Sent in by Mr. A. Van de Sande Bakhyusen, Dutch Acting Consul-General, on July 23, 1907.]
THE Consular Body decided, at its meeting on the 11th June last, to inquire closely into the financial situation of the Whangpu Conservancy Board, and since then we have received from the Diplomatic Body in Peking a list of questions referring to the same point, whilst some other questions referring to the techuical part of the improvement have been submitted by the German Consul-General. As the whole matter of the working and carrying out of the new Agreement will therefore have to be looked into, and as this affords a very good opportunity for us to consider all the difficulties which have arisen or may arise with regard to this vital interest of Shangbae, I beg to suggest that the inquiry be extended still a little further, and I take the liberty of drawing attention to some points which require elucidation before we will really be able not only to give a satisfactory answer to the letter of the Diplomatic Body, but also to enable us to forin an opinion for ourselves, and to perform the duty imposed upon us by the new Agreement.
The Quarterly Reports, which contain the only official information in our possession, do not provide us with sufficient material to form a judgment on all the questions which the execution of the work involves.
Finances.
The questions enumerated in the letter from the doyen of the Diplomatic Body, which refer mainly to the administration of the funds, may find an answer in the next Quarterly Report, but there is another point in regard to the finances. There seems to be a doubt in regard to the financial obligations of the Chinese Government for the Whangpu work. The preamble of the new Arrangement states explicitly that the Chinese Govern- ment undertakes to pay all the costs of the works ("en prenant à sa charge la totalité des dépenses").
This is reaffirmed and repeated in Article 9, but Article 10 says that the Chinese Government will, in conformity with the stipulations of the Protocol of 1901, spend on these works annually for twenty years the sum of 460,000 Haikwan tuels. The Chinese Government may, continues Article 10, if necessary, float a loan to meet exceptionally high expenses. For the payment of the capital and interest of this loan, as well as for the payment of expenses of any kind in connection with the execution of the work or the maintenance thereof, China must pay yearly a minimum of 460,000 taels. The question arises, if China has fulfilled all its obligations by the payment of 460,000 taels yearly for a period of twenty years. If that were the opinion of the Chinese Government, who is to provide for the always rather expensive maintenance of the works? Morcover, it seems quite certain that a few more millions will have to be invested in improvement works before the river will be in good condition, and that the total cost will be heavier than apparently anticipated when the Agreement was drawn up. I think that it would be advisable to ascertain what the opinion of the Conservancy Board is on the very important point.
Revenue.
Judging by the plans of the improvement, it seems that a good deal of land will have to be reclaimed, and some land cut away, and perhaps to be paid for. According to the new Agreement, the riparian owners have a preferential right to buy or to lease any reclaimed land which accrues to their property. The Agreement does not say who will be entitled to the proceeds of these sales or leases. I presume that the intention was that the Board will have the benefit thereof, or is it perhaps the opinion of the Chinese Government that they may claim any profits there may be on this account ? It would seem to be more in keeping with the Agreement that this money should
go the Board over and above the 460,000 taels per year. As the profits may constitute a considerable amount, it would be well to inquire what the intention of the Board is.
Riparian Owners.
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The question of the riparian owners threatens to become a most difficult one, and is very likely to cause a good deal of friction. To some of them the reclaiming of land will be of great advantage, whereas to others it may entail considerable loss to give up their present landing stages or wharves and to conform to the observance of the normal lines. It is the intention of the Conservancy Board to force the riparian owners to observe the normal lines, aud, if so, how will the Board carry this out?
According to the Agreement, the price to be paid by the riparian owners for reclaimed land will be fixed by a Committee, which Committee will be differently This does not seem composed according to the nationality of the riparian owners. conducive to even and fair assessments. It would be interesting to elicit from the Board a statement as to how it intends to deal with this question.
The Chinese Bund.
A most difficult question exists with regard to the river in front of the Chinese city. The river is there at its narrowest, and it seems to be essential for the success of the improvement scheme that the food tide should have ample room to run up the river, but this is prevented by the narrowness of the river at this point, and still turther by a mud bank which extends along the Chinese band. On this mud bank, which is dry at low tide, there are stored thousands of logs which act as silt catchers and impair the condition of the river. Furthermore, there is situated there a small floating city of so-called beggar boats, which harbour a great number of people who are too poor to hire lodgings on shore. According to the Engineer's opinion, it is indispensable that this lumber and the beggar-boats should be removed, and that the river should be brought to normal depth over the entire width of the river. Before long the Board will have to deal with this question, and as this will probably cause great expenditure in the form of compensation, it would be advisable to ask the Board to express an opinion on this point.
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