CO129-360 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 321

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constructional elquents of the proposed tripartite ́agree-

ment. The French acknowledgment of the British preference

319 as regards construction of the Hankow-Canton railway had

been obtained in return for the British acknowledgment of

the French preference with regard to the reking-ilankow

line, by the Anglo-French agreement of 1900. Unfortunately

the materials for a similar bargain with Germany do not ex

ist, and, so far as the German Group was concerned, it was

certain that no proposal, novever favourable, which the

british and Chinese Corporation could make, short of equal-

ity of treatment as regards supply of material, stood any

chunce of being accepted.

As a way out of the difficulty it was suggested that.

the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank should take over the nego

tiations for the loan, in its own name but on behalf of the

British and Chinese Corporation, to whom it would account

for any profil that night result from the operation.

was not proposed to make any change whatever in the fer

ment with the Chinese. Any guarantee that could

tained, every stipulation as to the appointment g

eers and the supply of material was to be inserter

proper place in the Agreement. The Chinese had

to recognise any party to the agreement except