CO129-352 - Public Offices - 1908 — Page 66

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All AI Reviewed

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

C. O 25671

CHINA RAILWAYS.

CONFIDENTIAL.

16 JUL 08

[June 13.]

SECTION 1.

[20378]

(Confidential.) Sir,

No. 1.

Colonial Office to Foreign Office.-(Received June 13.)

Downing Street, June 12, 1908.

I AM directed by the Earl of Crewe to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 26th ultimo, and to transmit to you, for the information of Sir E. Grey, the inclosed copies of correspondence with the Governor of Hong Kong on the subject of the Hankow-Canton Railway.

I am, &c.

(Signed) R. L. ANTROBUS.

Inclosure 1 in No. 1.

(Confidential.) My Lord,

Governor Sir F. Lugard to the Earl of Elgin.

Government House, Hong Kong, April 10, 1908. SIR JOHN JORDAN, His Majesty's Minister at Peking, has lately been spending a few days in Hong Kong on a private visit to myself, and this has afforded me an opportunity of discussing several matters of interest to this Colony.

2. I have the honour to recall to your Lordship's recollection the position of affairs in respect of the Canton-Hankow Railway. The fact that this railway was projected as a continuation of the Canton-Kowloon Railway and to connect it with the existing Hankow-Peking line was one of the determining reasons which decided the Governor and Legislature of this Colony to embark on the expensive enterprise of building the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, since it was felt that a line from north to south of China must debouch at Kowloon if the supremacy of the port of Hong Kong were to be maintained. Your Lordship will recollect that, with your concurrence, this Colony even went farther, and advanced a sum of 1,100,000l. to the Viceroy of Wuchang to enable him to redeem the Concession for the line to Hankow, which was in the hands of an Americo-Belgian Syndicate. Hong Kong has therefore not only a very vital interest in the construction of this line, but also, in view of the financial support rendered, the Colony is justified in claiming that the purpose for which the loan was advanced is effected.

3. The present position of affairs appears to be an impasse. Owing to the inclusion in the British Syndicates of a French group without the consent of the Chinese, the latter refuse to apply for the loan for construction. I understand that Chang-chi-tung emphatically declares that he will have nothing to do with an Anglo-French Syndicate, that he made his Agreement with the British alone, and will not negotiate with any other, though he is ready to apply for a loan from the British Syndicates. They, on their part, are precluded from negotiation by the terms of their compact with the French group, while the French are unwilling to recede from the position they have obtained and to allow the British to advance funds, except in the name of the Joint Syndicate. The British Government is pledged to support the Anglo-French Syndicate only, and therefore no loan for construction can be raised from any other British source, including Hong Kong, while the Chinese are equally bound by the terms of their Agreement to borrow from no other source than the British. There is thus a complete deadlock. The British Minister is endeavouring to persuade his French colleague to give way, and there seems to be a possibility that the French may agree that the loan should be made in the name of the British Syndicate, while they preserve their interests. This has not, however, been agreed as yet, nor is it certain how the Chinese would regard the arrangement. Construction is in the meantime completely blocked unless the Chinese can raise the funds themselves.

4. In these circumstances, I suggested to Sir John Jordan that, in order not to delay the construction of the line, in which this Colony has so great an interest, it might be possible for me to agree to postpone for this year the repayment (of

[1814 n-1]

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This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government. C. O 25671 64 CHINA RAILWAYS. CONFIDENTIAL. 16 JUL 08 [June 13.] SECTION 1. [20378] (Confidential.) Sir, No. 1. Colonial Office to Foreign Office.-(Received June 13.) Downing Street, June 12, 1908. I AM directed by the Earl of Crewe to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 26th ultimo, and to transmit to you, for the information of Sir E. Grey, the inclosed copies of correspondence with the Governor of Hong Kong on the subject of the Hankow-Canton Railway. I am, &c. (Signed) R. L. ANTROBUS. Inclosure 1 in No. 1. (Confidential.) My Lord, Governor Sir F. Lugard to the Earl of Elgin. Government House, Hong Kong, April 10, 1908. SIR JOHN JORDAN, His Majesty's Minister at Peking, has lately been spending a few days in Hong Kong on a private visit to myself, and this has afforded me an opportunity of discussing several matters of interest to this Colony. 2. I have the honour to recall to your Lordship's recollection the position of affairs in respect of the Canton-Hankow Railway. The fact that this railway was projected as a continuation of the Canton-Kowloon Railway and to connect it with the existing Hankow-Peking line was one of the determining reasons which decided the Governor and Legislature of this Colony to embark on the expensive enterprise of building the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, since it was felt that a line from north to south of China must debouch at Kowloon if the supremacy of the port of Hong Kong were to be maintained. Your Lordship will recollect that, with your concurrence, this Colony even went farther, and advanced a sum of 1,100,000l. to the Viceroy of Wuchang to enable him to redeem the Concession for the line to Hankow, which was in the hands of an Americo-Belgian Syndicate. Hong Kong has therefore not only a very vital interest in the construction of this line, but also, in view of the financial support rendered, the Colony is justified in claiming that the purpose for which the loan was advanced is effected. 3. The present position of affairs appears to be an impasse. Owing to the inclusion in the British Syndicates of a French group without the consent of the Chinese, the latter refuse to apply for the loan for construction. I understand that Chang-chi-tung emphatically declares that he will have nothing to do with an Anglo-French Syndicate, that he made his Agreement with the British alone, and will not negotiate with any other, though he is ready to apply for a loan from the British Syndicates. They, on their part, are precluded from negotiation by the terms of their compact with the French group, while the French are unwilling to recede from the position they have obtained and to allow the British to advance funds, except in the name of the Joint Syndicate. The British Government is pledged to support the Anglo-French Syndicate only, and therefore no loan for construction can be raised from any other British source, including Hong Kong, while the Chinese are equally bound by the terms of their Agreement to borrow from no other source than the British. There is thus a complete deadlock. The British Minister is endeavouring to persuade his French colleague to give way, and there seems to be a possibility that the French may agree that the loan should be made in the name of the British Syndicate, while they preserve their interests. This has not, however, been agreed as yet, nor is it certain how the Chinese would regard the arrangement. Construction is in the meantime completely blocked unless the Chinese can raise the funds themselves. 4. In these circumstances, I suggested to Sir John Jordan that, in order not to delay the construction of the line, in which this Colony has so great an interest, it might be possible for me to agree to postpone for this year the repayment (of [1814 n-1]

Baseline (Original)

I This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government. C. O 25671 64 CHINA RAILWAYS. CONFIDENTIAL. 16 JUL 08 [June 13.] SECTION 1. [20378] (Confidential.) Sir, No. 1. Colonial Office to Foreign Office.-(Received June 13.) Downing Street, June 12, 1908. I AM directed by the Earl of Crewe to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 26th ultimo, and to transmit to you, for the information of Sir E. Grey, the inclosed copies of correspondence with the Governor of Hong Kong on the subject of the Hankow-Canton Railway. I am, &c. (Signed) R. L. ANTROBUS. Inclosure 1 in No. 1. (Confidential.) My Lord, Governor Sir F. Lugard to the Earl of Elgin. Government House, Hong Kong, April 10, 1908. SIR JOHN JORDAN, His Majesty's Minister at Peking, has lately been spending a few days in Hong Kong on a private visit to myself, and this has afforded me an opportunity of discussing several matters of interest to this Colony. 2. I have the honour to recall to your Lordship's recollection the position of affairs in respect of the Canton-Hankow Railway. The fact that this railway was projected as a continuation of the Canton-Kowloon Railway and to connect it with the existing Hankow-Peking line was one of the determining reasons which decided the Governor and Legislature of this Colony to embark on the expensive enterprise of building the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, since it was felt that a line from north to south of China must debouch at Kowloon if the supremacy of the port of Hong Kong were to be maintained. Your Lordship will recollect that, with your concurrence, this Colony even went farther, and advanced a sum of 1,100,000l. to the Viceroy of Wuchang to enable him to redeem the Concession for the line to Hankow, which was in the hands of an Americo-Belgian Syndicate. Hong Kong has therefore not only a very vital interest in the construction of this line, but also, in view of the financial support rendered, the Colony is justified in claiming that the purpose for which the loan was advanced is effected. 3. The present position of affairs appears to be an impasse. Owing to the inclusion in the British Syndicates of a French group without the consent of the Chinese, the latter refuse to apply for the loan for construction. I understand that Chang-chi-tung emphatically declares that he will have nothing to do with an Anglo-French Syndicate, that he made his Agreement with the British alone, and will not negotiate with any other, though he is ready to apply for a loan from the British Syndicates. They, on their part, are precluded from negotiation by the terms of their compact with the French group, while the French are unwilling to recede from the position they have obtained and to allow the British to advance funds, except in the name of the Joint Syndicate. The British Government is pledged to support the Anglo-French Syndicate only, and therefore no loan for construction can be raised from any other British source, including Hong Kong, while the Chinese are equally bound by the terms of their Agreement to borrow from no other source than the British. There is thus a complete deadlock. The British Minister is endeavouring to persuade his French colleague to give way, and there seems to be a possibility that the French may agree that the loan should be made in the name of the British Syndicate, while they preserve their interests. This has not, however, been agreed as yet, nor is it certain how the Chinese would regard the arrangement. Construction is in the meantime completely blocked unless the Chinese can raise the funds themselves. 4. In these circumstances, I suggested to Sir John Jordan that, in order not to delay the construction of the line, in which this Colony has so great an interest, it might be possible for me to agree to postpone for this year the repayment (of [1814 n-1]

2026-06-06 14:59:31 · Baseline

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