CO129-361 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 490

Paraphrase of Telegram to Sir J.Jordan,

No.103, Urgent, dated June 3rd, 1909.

485

A serious difficulty has, I am informed by the

HongKong and Shanghai Bank, arisen at the last moment

Chang-chih Tung now insists

about the railway loan.

that there is to be no mention of the British and Chi-

nese Corporation in the business, and that the Corpora-

tion are not to be given the agency here for the pur-

chase of material for the railway. According to the

Bank this would apply to all Chinese business and

would involve the dissolution of the Corporation, which

would have a deplorable effect.

If China has any complaints against the Corpora-

tion on the score of extravagance or otherwise as re-

gards railways built by them, this would not apply

to a railway built by China, in which all that the Cor-

poration would receive would be a commission on the

materials ordered by the Chinese.

There has been no

suspicion as to the Corporation's integrity.

Please endeavour to get Chang's decision as to

the Corporation reversed.

The French and German

groups