14
STATEMENT of receipts and expenditure during March quarter 1909.
Balance from December quarter, 1908 (a.) Superintendent: on account grant
(b.) Unclassed: sundry receipts
(c) Gain by exchange
Total net receipts..
Advances repaid ..
Receipts.
Hk. taels.
410,000.00
282.81 532.61
C.O
J0327
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
.3GP || SEP 09
[August 9.]
SECTION 10.
431
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
Hk. taeis. 59,825.71
CONFIDENTIAL.
[29902]
No. 1.
410,765 42
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received August 9.)
461.89
(No. 266.) Sir,
471,053-02
Sir,
Total
+
Expenditure.
1. Salaries
2. Transport
3. Rent..
4. Plant: cost and maintenance
5. Houses. furniture, &c.
6. Ordinary stores, &c., miscellaneous
7. Conservancy works
8. Loss by exchange
9. Special payments
Total net expenditure, March quarter
Advances, lent
Balance carried forward
Total
Prepared by-
A. G. H. CARRUTHER, Accountant.
Hk, taels. 36,091 -55
537-21 2,125-52 4,488.06
965-45
484 04
858,460.58
47.87 120-33
Hk tacls.
404,220*81
461 89
404,682.50 66,370*52
471,055 02
H. E. HOBSON, Commissioner.
Inclosure 13 in No. 1.
Consul-General Sir P. Warren to Sir J. Jordan.
Shanghae, June 3, 1909. I HAVE the honour to continue my despatch No. 43 of the 1st June, forwarding copies of correspondence relating to the affairs of the Whangpoo Conservancy.
The minority report presented by the consul-general for Germany at the meeting (which took place on the 30th April, vide my despatch No. 40) of the consular committee appointed to consider the affairs of the conservancy was adopted at the seventh meeting the consular body by a majority of five--eight for, three against, and four neutral. At the following meeting of the consular body, M. Müller's motion was, after further discussion, rejected by a majority of three-nine for, six against, and one neutral, and it was decided not to forward the proposal to Peking.
Letters from the Chamber of Commerce and the China Association (Inclosures 1 and 2 in my despatch No. 43) have had something to do with the change of front on the part of certain consuls, who at first had voted with M. Müller.
I have, &c.
0
PELHAM L. WARREN.
Peking, July 22, 1909. WITH reference to my despatch No. 221 of the 23rd ultimo, I have the honour to report that the affairs of the Whangpoo Conservancy were discussed at the last meeting of the diplomatic body held on the 9th instant.
It will be within your recollection that, as stated in my despatch No. 199 of the 27th May last, M. de Rijke, the chief engineer in charge of the conservancy work, requires a further sum of some 8,089,765 dollars for the improvements to be carried out within the next five years, and the diplomatic body had consequently to examine and decide the question as to whether, and if so in what manner, they should ask the Chinese Government to provide this sum.
On the 14th ultimo the dean of the diplomatic body circulated a letter which he had received from M. von Mutius, writing in the name of Count Rex. Á copy
of this letter, together with my observations upon it, is inclosed herewith for your informa- tion. You will observe that I was unable to agree with the proposal which, if adopted, would, in my opinion, have cast unmerited discredit on M. de Rijke. His Majesty's consul-general at Shanghae has kept me fully informed of the situation at Shanghae, and I gather that M. de Rijke has performed, and is performing, his duty in a manner which commends itself to the shipping community, that his scheme of improvement is well thought of, and that the opposition from German quarters is really not due to any misgivings as to the efficacy of his methods, but to the desire to get the control of so important a concern into German hands. Sir Pelham Warren informs me that the Germans in Shanghae have persistently placed every obstacle in the way of M. de Rijke, whose appointment was not agreeable to them. A German engineer was sent out by the German Government in the hope that he would be employed by the- Conservancy Board, and when M. de Rijke was appointed engineer-in-chief this gentleman applied for a post under him. The application was not entertained, nor was a German tender for the dredging contract accepted, although it was the lowest. Indeed, its rejection was due to the low prices quoted, as it was impossible to do the work at those rates except at a loss, and it seemed obvious to the Conservancy Board that the tender was made for political reasons with the support of the German Government. The opinion which I expressed on M. von Mutius' letter was fortunately shared by a majority of my colleagues, and M. von Mutius accordingly declared at the meeting on the 9th instant that Count Rex had had no other object in view than to "tirer la question au clair," and that he desired to withdraw his proposal, since his colleagues did not wish to discuss M. de Rijke's scheme. The only question before us was, therefore, that of ways and means.
I explained to my colleagues the difficulties which occurred to my mind in this connection. According to the information in my possession, which I had taken care to verify by a reference to our consul-general at Shanghae, the position was as follows. The Conservancy Board will have received by the year 1925 twenty annual payments (under the agreement of 1905) of 400,000 Haikwan taels, or a total of 10,248,800 Shanghae taels. By the year 1911 they will also have received payment of a loan of 4,500,000 taels, which they contracted last year. This loan, bearing interest at 7 per cent., is payable in quarterly instalments in three years, and repayment of the capital commences at the expiry of that period, viz., in 1911, and is spread over a further period of fourteen years until 1925. Thus the total sum to be received by the Conservancy Board, under present arrangements, is 14,748,800 taels. The liabilities appear to be :-
•
Expended up to December 31, 1908. Unpaid balances of contract Interest on loan of 4,500,000 taels for 17 years, allowing for repayment of capital Repayment of loan of 4,500,000 taele
Total
•
leaving a balance in the Conservancy's favour of 1,440,071 taels.
[2391 -10]
Taels.
2,911,665
2,557,030
8,340,084
4,500,000
13,308,729
B
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