CO129-360 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 445

!

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

C. O.

6761

AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

[February 10.]

RECE

K

CONFIDENTIAL.

Rec: 25 E 09

SECTION 1,

[5516]

No. 1.

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received February 10.)

(No. 30.) Sir,

Peking, January 18, 1909. IN continuation of my despatch No. 502 of the 4th November, 1908, I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a copy of a letter addressed to the Senior Consul at Shanghae by the Directorate of the Whangpoo Conservancy, inclosing a report on the subject of the malpractices attributed to the Dutch East Asiatic Dredging Company, This report contains the gist of the evidence brought forward at the investigation held in October by the Commissioner of Customs and the Taotai. The statements made by the various witnesses largely substantiate the accusations made against the firm, or, rather, the firm's employés. As will be seen both from the above report and from the statement (copy inclosed),† given to the Wai-wu Pu by the Dutch Legation, the con- tractors have expressed their willingness to dredge, by way of compensation and penalty, 500,000 cubic yards of mud without payment, as recommended by the Conservancy's engineer.

This proposed settlement does not, however, commend itself to the public press, which insists that no settlement should be ratified unless provision is made for the publication of all the details of the question, while the German Consul-General has recently endeavoured to induce the Consular Body to hold a public investigation. This attitude of the German Consul-General confirms the general impression, alluded to in the statement drawn up by the Dutch Legation, that the Germans are making the most of this undoubtedly discreditable incident in order to damage the reputation of the Dutch Company and incidentally that of Mr. de Rijke, against whom, as you are aware, they have been agitating for some time past.

Though the Consular Body did not agree to the German proposal, they have refused to accept the contractors' offer above mentioned, and have appointed a Com- mittee, of whom Sir Pelham Warren is one, to examine the Conservancy Board's report and advise whether the conclusions arrived at by Mr. de Rijke should be accepted.

* Whangpoo Conservancy Board, December 12, 1908. [2155 -1]

I have, &c.

(Signed) J. N. JORDAN.

† Memorandum.

443