CO129-362 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 541

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cumpleins of, the fault lies not with the system but with

the corruption and inefficiency of the Chinese officials

vho carry it out, The procedure followed by our Consular

Officers is simple and effective, and if it does not al-

ways attain the depized result, that de due to the ineffi-

cient Manuer in which their efforts are scconded by the

Chinese. The adoption of the proposed reciprocal arrange-

ment in bankruptcy involving as it would the creation

of

1

2 special bankruptcy Court in Canton, would not, in

my orinion, improve matters; rather the contrary.

It

zoula zád further complications and would weaken the ad-

ministrative potior of the Consulate Ceneral. Any real

improvement must be preceded by a thorough reform of the

administration of Justice in Canton and the appointment

of honest, capable and energetic officials to the magis-

trature, of which unfortunately there seeris little pros-

pect at present. To sum up. I see no reason to depart from

the opinion T expressed in regard to Mr.Mansfield's pro-

posal soon after taking up my poat kere, (see my despatch

To.458 of Hovencher 7, 1900, ) to the effect that seeing

the difficulty we experienced in inducing the Chinese

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Government