CO129-361 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 532

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Paraphrase of Telegram from Sir J. Jordan, Peking,

No.105, dated June 10th, 1909.

Hankow Szechuan Railway.

Please see my telegram No.102.

The United States Chargé d'Affaires, who has re-

ceived instructions from Washington has just told me

that he has notified Chang-chih Tung and the Wal-wu Pu

that the United States Government have not released

China from her 1903 engagement and that they claim a

share in this railway. The suggestion put forward by

the United States is to include in the agreement the

section above Ichang and that the American group should

participate equally with the other signatories in the

Hankow-Chengtu line.

I reminded Mr. Fletcher that the information had

been elicited by enquiries made in Washington in 1905

that the participation of United States capital was

not forthcoming and that there had been no indication

of a reversal of that decision although the negotia-

tions had received the widest publicity.

I added that

it