479
D
C.O. 33035
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government
CHINA RAILWAYS.
RECO 1949 SEP 08 [August 11.]
CONFIDENTIAL.
SECTION 4.
[27926]
No. 1.
Chinese Central Railways to Foreign Office,(Received August 11.)
(Extract.)
110, Cannon Street, London, August 10, 1908.
I AM instructed to lay before the Foreign Office another and still more important matter. My Directors consider the time has come to renew the application for a railway from Hankow to Chengtu in the Province of Szechuan, and to call on the Chinese Government to fulfil the promise made to Mr. Townley and confirmed in writing to Sir Ernest Satow in 1903, viz., that, failing native capital, this line should be constructed by British capital. For the terms of this undertaking, I have the honour to refer you to Foreign Office letter to the Peking Syndicate of the 13th August, 1903. The promise was to "British and American" capital, but it having been found that no American capitalists desired to participate, and the Peking Syndicate and the British and Chinese Corporation—the only two Companies applying—having merged their interests for this purpose in the Chinese Central Railways, it is submitted that this latter Company is the one now entitled to the benefit of the promise.
The five years that have elapsed since the undertaking was given must be amply sufficient to show the futility of expecting that native capital will be forthcoming for this work, and, on the other hand, the urgent necessity for a railway to connect Szechuan with the navigable Yang-tsze must now be apparent to even the most conservative of Chinese officials. It was mainly for the purpose of securing the construction of a railway into Szechuan that the Anglo-French combination, now constituting the Chinese Central Railways, was, with the approval of our respective Governments, formed, and we have only been waiting the completion of the Tien-tsin-Pukow negotiations to proceed with the Szechuan business. My Directors consequently directed Mr. Bland some little time ago to take the necessary steps, in concert with M. Casenave, the representative in Peking of the French group, to approach the Chinese Government with this object, and it was pointed out to him that he might at this juncture receive considerable support from the French Minister, who was reported to be asking for certain railway privileges in connection with the settlement of the Yunnan claims. My Directors have since learned from a communication just received from their colleagues of the French group that the French Minister in Peking has actually been instructed to make the granting of the Szechuan Railway to the Anglo-French group a condition of the settlement of the Yunnan frontier business.
Considering, however, that the Chinese Central Railways is a British Company, my Directors would much prefer that the grant should come through the British Legation based on the promise of Prince Ching to Sir Ernest Satow in 1903, mentioned above, rather than through the French, and it is conceived that this course would be more palatable to the Chinese Government. They are accordingly instructing their agent in Peking to lose no time in sending in application in this sense to Sir John Jordan, if this has not already been done, and my Directors would respectfully submit for the consideration of the Foreign Office whether it would not be desirable to address a communication by telegraph to Sir John direct, acquainting him with the circumstances of the case, and desiring him to take such action as may be deemed proper.
[1897 1-4]
....
479
D
C.O. 33035
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government
CHINA RAILWAYS.
RECO 1949 SEP 08 [August 11.]
CONFIDENTIAL.
SECTION 4.
[27926]
No. 1.
Chinese Central Railways to Foreign Office,(Received August 11.)
(Extract.)
110, Cannon Street, London, August 10, 1908. I AM instructed to lay before the Foreign Office another and still more important matter. My Directors consider the time has come to renew the application for a railway from Hankow to Chengtu in the Province of Szechuan, and to call on the Chinese Government to fulfil the promise made to Mr. Townley and confirmed in writing to Sir Ernest Satow in 1903, viz., that, failing native capital, this line should be constructed by British capital. For the terms of this undertaking, I have the honour to refer you to Foreign Office letter to the Peking Syndicate of the 13th August, 1903. The promise was to "British and American" capital, but it having been found that no American capitalists desired to participate, and the Peking Syndicate and the British and Chinese Corporation-the only two Companies applying-having merged their interests for this purpose in the Chinese Central Railways, it is submitted that this latter Company is the one now entitled to the benefit of the promise.
The five years that have elapsed since the undertaking was given must be amply sufficient to show the futility of expecting that native capital will be forthcoming for this work, and, on the other hand, the urgent necessity for a railway to connect Szechuan with the navigable Yang-tsze must now be apparent to even the most conservative of Chinese officials. It was mainly for the purpose of securing the construction of a railway into Szechuan that the Anglo-French combination, now constituting the Chinese Central Railways, was, with the approval of our respective Governments, formed, and we have only been waiting the completion of the Tien-tsin-Pukow negotiations to proceed with the Szechuan business. My Directors consequently directed Mr. Bland some little time ago to take the necessary steps, in concert with M. Casenave, the representative in Peking of the French group, to approach the Chinese Government with this object, and it was pointed out to him that he might at this juncture receive considerable support from the French Minister, who was reported to be asking for certain railway privileges in connection with the settlement of the Yunnan claims. My Directors have since learned from a communication just received from their colleagues of the French group that the French Minister in Peking has actually been instructed to make the granting of the Szechuan Railway to the Anglo-French group a condition of the settlement of the Yunnan frontier business.
Considering, however, that the Chinese Central Railways is a British Company, my Directors would much prefer that the grant should come through the British Legation based on the promise of Prince Ching to Sir Ernest Satow in 1903, mentioned above, rather than through the French, and it is conceived that this course would be more palatable to the Chinese Government. They are accordingly instructing their agent in Peking to lose no time in sending in application in this sense to Sir John Jordan, if this has not already been done, and my Directors would respectfully submit for the consideration of the Foreign Office whether it would not be desirable to address a communication by telegraph to Sir John direct, acquainting him with the circumstances of the case, and desiring him to take such action as may be deemed proper.
[1897 1-4]
....
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