CO129-360 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 50

This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.] 49

CHINA TRADE.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[41488]

R

[November 28.]

SECTION 3.

Sir J. Jordon to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received November 28.)

(No. 443. Confidential.) Sir,

C. O.

1189

11 JAN 09

Peking, October 9, 1908. I HAVE the houour to transmit to you herewith a copy of an interesting Report by Mr. Willis, Acting Consul-General at Mukden, on the commercial situation at Harbin, to which, in accordance with my instructions, he recently paid a visit.

I venture to draw your attention to the statement in this Report as to the uncer- tainty of there being any real equality of commercial opportunity in Manchuria so long as the railway communication is controlled by Russia and Japan, and I may state that I am in general agreement with Mr. Willis' view that the extension of the Chinese line is the most effectual safeguard against a policy of discrimination.

It is for this feason that I have encouraged the project of a railway from Chin- chow Fu to Taonan Fu, which formed the subject of my despatches Nos. 359 and 435 of the 6th August and 30th September respectively.

I have, &c. (Signed) J. N. JORDAN.

P.S.-Since the above was written, I have received a further despatch from Mr. Willis, of which a copy is inclosed, illustrative of the methods employed by the Russian and Japanese Railway Administrations to further their own political aims instead of confining themselves to improving the means of communication and developing the resources of the country.

J. N. J.

Inclosure 1 in No. 1.

Acting Consul-General Willis to Sir J. Jordan.

(No. 63. Confidential.) Sir,

Mukden, October 1, 1908. IN accordance with instructions contained in the last paragraph of your despatch No. 25, Confidential, of the 24th ultimo, I have the honour to submit the following Report on the commercial situation at Harbin :---

Unfortunately heavy rain fell during my visit, and the roads of Harbin are under such conditions so disgracefully bad that it was impossible for me to make personal investigations to any extent in the low-lying commercial part of Harbin and the native city of Fu Chia Tien.

The material of this Report has been gathered mainly from conversations I held with M. Konovaloff, the Commissioner of Customs; Mr. Fisher, the American Consul; and M. Dard, French Consular Agent and Manager of the Russo-Chinese Bank

At the last census the Russian population of Harbin was given at 23,000, but it is gradually diminishing, and at the present moment 20,000 would be an outside limit. Of these 4,000 approximately are railway guards, and from 10,000 to 12,000~~ M. Dard gave me the latter figure-are in the employ of the Chinese Eastern Railway. The remaining population are for the most part engaged in providing for the necessities and amusements of the railway guards and employés.

Of foreign nationalities living in the railway Settlement, there are roughly 800 Japanese, 100 Austrians, 70 Germans, and about 500 Turks, Greeks, Roumanians, Bulgarians, and other unrepresented Southern European peoples. Of resident British subjects I only succeeded in finding Mr. Warburton, the sub-Manager of the Russo- Chinese Bank, but I learnt that from 40 to 50 Sikhs were employed by Russian establishments as watchmen. The British American Tobacco Company have a branch at Fu Chia Tieu, the Chinese town adjacent to the Russian Settlement.

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