This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government
CHINA RAILWAYS.
CONFIDENTIAL.
26 APR 081
[March 21.
SECTION 2.
[9754]
(No. 5.) Sir,
No. 1.
Consul-General Wilkinson to Sir Edward Grey.--(Received March 21.)
Yunnan-fu, January 20, 1908.
I HAVE the honour to inclose copy of a despatch to the Government of Burmah regarding the establishment at Yunnan-fu of a purely Chinese Training College for railway engineers.
I am now informed that only 40 out of the original 167 candidates have passed the entrance examination.
I have, &c. (Signed)
W. H. WILKINSON.
Sir,
Inclosure in No. 1.
Consul-General Wilkinson to Government of Burmah.
Yunnan-fu, January 15, 1908.
ON the 31st December a joint Notification was posted in the names of:
(a.) "The Director-General and Associate Managers of the Yunnan-Szechuan and Tengyueh Railways Company," Financial Commissioner Liu, Judicial Commissioner Shen, Intendant-Designate Fang;
(b.) Commissioner of Education for Yunnan, Yeh,
inviting candidates to an examination for cadetships in a Railway College ("t'ieh-tao hsüeh-t'ang") to be shortly established at Yünnan-fu.
The Notification begins: "Whereas the commencement of work on the Yunnan-Szechuan Railway is at hand, and the necessary railway officials will not be equal to the performance of their duties if a College is not established for their training.
It is noteworthy that, although (as usual) the words "and Tengyueh" are paraded in the title of the "Director-General and Associate Managers," the Notification does not say that it is proposed to commence work on the Tengyueh line. Importance, however, must not be attached to this omission, which is probably one of inadvertence only. The attention of your Government, and of the Government of India, cannot be too strongly drawn to the following facts:
1. Although the popular desire in the western circuit is in favour of the extension to Tengyueh and Tali of the Burmah railways, or is at the worst indifferent, the present Governor-General of the Yun-kuei, Hsi-liang, is a reactionary of a pronounced type, and with his creatures will do his best to oppose such extension.
2. The Governor-General and his gang of xenophobes have, I am convinced, not the slightest intention or desire of themselves constructing a railway from Tengyueh to the Burmah frontier; and even if they had such a desire, they lack both the skill and the funds.
3. They will nevertheless, as soon as they can engage or evoke a Chinese engineer, make a pretence of commencing work on the Tengyueh line. They will, for example, build an embankment from the Kulikba, at the only possible approach into Yunnan in this quarter, for a hundred yards or so eastward along the Taiping, and will then desist, confident that they have successfully hoodwinked the Government of India.
That they have not played this move before is due to the fortunate fact that they have failed in their efforts to secure the services of one of the three or four Chinese railway engineers (such as "Jeme Tien-yow" of the Peking-Kalgan line) who are competent to construct any but the most elementary railroad. No one is willing
[2880 -2]
44
14855
This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Governmegirl5
CHINA RAILWAYS.
CONFIDENTIAL.
26 APR 081
[March 21.
SECTION 2.
[9754]
(No. 5.) Sir,
No. 1.
Consul-General Wilkinson to Sir Edward Grey.--(Received March 21.)
Yunnan-fu, January 20, 1908.
I HAVE the honour to inclose copy of a despatch to the Government of Burmah regarding the establishment at Yunnan-fu of a purely Chinese Training College for railway engineers.
I am now informed that only 40 out of the original 167 candidates have passed the entrance examination.
I have, &c. (Signed)
W. II. WILKINSON.
Sir,
Inclosure in No. 1.
Consul-General Wilkinson to Government of Burmah.
Yunnan-fu, January 15, 1908.
ON the 31st December a joint Notification was posted in the names of→ (a.) "The Director-General and Associate Managers of the Yunnan-Szechuan and Tengyueh Railways Company," Financial Commissioner Liu, Judicial Commis- sioner Shen, Intendant-Designate Fang;
(b.) Commissioner of Education for Yunnan, Yeh,
inviting candidates to an examination for cadetships in a Railway College ("t'ieb-tao bsuo-tang") to be shortly established at Yünnan-fu.
The Notification begins: "Whereas the commencement of work on the Yunnan- Szechuan Railway is at hand, and the necessary railway officials will not be equal to the performance of their duties if a College is not established for their training.
It is noteworthy that, although (as usual) the words "and Tengyueh' are paraded in the title of the "Director-General and Associate Managers," the Notification does not say that it is proposed to commence work on the Tengyuch line. Importance, however, must not be attached to this omission, which is probably one of inadvertence only. The attention of your Government, and of the Government of India, cannot be too strongly drawn to the following facts :--
1. Although the popular desire in the western circuit is in favour of the extension to Tengyueh and Tali of the Burmah railways, or is at the worst indifferent, the present Governor-General of the Yun-kuei, Hsi-liang, is a reactionary of a pronounced type, and with his creatures will do his best to oppose such extension.
2. The Governor-General and his gang of xenophobes have, I am convinced, not the slightest intention or desire of themselves constructing a railway from Tengyueh to the Burmah frontier; and even if they had such a desire, they lack both the skill and the funds.
3. They will nevertheless, as soon as they can engage or evoke a Chinese engineer, make a pretence of commencing work on the Tengyueh line. They will, for example, build an embankment from the Kulikba, at the only possible approach into Yunnan in this quarter, for a hundred yards or so eastward along the Taiping, and will then desist, confident that they have successfully hoodwinked the Government
of India.
That they have not played this move before is due to the fortunate fact that they have failed in their efforts to secure the services of one of the three or four Chinese railway engineers (such as "Jeme Tien-yow" of the Peking-Kalgan line) who are competent to construct any but the most elementary railroad. No one is willing
[2880 -2]
44
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