CO129-345 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1907 — Page 410

1)

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

CHINA RAILWAYS.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[34871]

No. 1.

407

[October 18.]

SECTION 1.

British and Chinese Corporation to Chinese Central Railways.~(Communicated by

Mr. Keswick, October 18.)

Dear Sir,

22, Abchurch Lane, London, October 17, 1907.

I AM directed to acknowledge the receipt of and to thank you for the 17th instant, inclosing, for the information of my Directors, a copy of a telegram your letter of received by you to-day from the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank, your partners in the Tien-tsin-Yang-tsze Railway, in which telegram the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank request your Board to urge the Foreign Office in London to instruct Sir J. Jordan to withdraw his demand that the Chinese Government shall sign the Tien-tsin-Yang-tsze Railway Final Agreement and the Soochow-Ningpo Railway Final Agreement simultaneously so as to allow of the Tien-tsin-Yang-tsze Railway Agreement being signed first.

My Directors would view any such proceeding with the greatest possible regret, and trust that your Board will see fit to decline to comply with the request of the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank,

My Directors cannot admit that the circumstances are as stated by the Deutsch- Asiatische Bank.

The arrangement come between Chinese Central Railways and the Corporation was that either the Soochow-Ningpo Railway Agreement should take precedence of of the Tien-tsin-Yang-tsze Railway Agreement or that both Agreements should be signed simultaneously.

Neither can my Directors admit the statement that the negotiations for the Soochow-Ningpo Railway Agreement are still in the very earliest stage. On the contrary, our advices indicate that they have overtaken and are marching with the negotiations for the Tien-tsin-Yang-tsze Railway Agreement.

As you will see from Mr. Bland's telegram of yesterday, a copy of which has been handed to you, the only point that we are informed there is a question upon relates to the position of the provincial authorities vis-à-vis the Imperial Government, the former objecting to give the security which the latter has demanded.

I am further to point out that Mr. Bland, who represents your interests as well as those of this Corporation, states in his telegram that the British Minister is vigorously pressing the Chinese Government, and that Mr. Bland urges that your Company and the Corporation should maintain a united front.

!

I am, &c.

(Signed)

A. N. FREWER, Secretary.

(Telegraphic.)

Inclosure 1 in No. 1.

Deutsch-Asiatische Bank to Chinese Central Railways.

Berlin, October 17, 1907. WE hear officially that Sir John Jordan has asked the Chinese Government not to close the Tien-tsin-Yang-tsze Railway Final Agreement before the Ningpo contract has been signed, though the negotiations about the latter are still in the very earliest stage, while the former is on the point of being concluded. We must consider these proceedings contrary to the sense of our Agreement, and hope you will urge upon the Foreign Office, London, to instruct Sir John Jordan to withdraw his resistance.

[2691 s-1]