CO129-362 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 75

73

C.O.

24967

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

RceP

REGE 26 JUL 09

CHINA RAILWAYS.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[24076]

No. 1.

[Jane 28.]

SECTION 3.

(No. 171.) Sir,

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received June 28.)

Peking, May 12, 1909. IN his intelligence report for the quarter ended the 31st December last, copy of which I had the honour to transmit to you in my despatch No. 81 of the 1st February last, the acting consul-general at Canton alluded to a project for building a railway from Kweilin in the province of Kwangsi to Chen Chou in the province of Hunan. This project has since been the subject of communications between the provincial anthorities and Lord ffrench, agent of Messrs. Paulings, to whom the former desired to entrust the task of making a preliminary survey of the line. I am glad to be able to report that, according to a further despatch from the acting consul-general at Canton, copy of which is enclosed herewith, it would seem as if an agreement was about to be concluded entrusting Messrs. Paulings with this survey, and giving them the option of constructing the line should it be decided to have recourse to foreign assistance.

I have, &c.

J. N. JORDAN.

Inclosure 1 in No. 1.

Acting Consul-General Fox to Sir J. Jordan.

(No. 43.) Sir,

Canton, April 13, 1909. WITH reference to my despatch No. 11 of the 8th February last, and to my telegram No. 9 of to-day's date, I have the honour to enclose copy and translation of a telegram from the Governor of Kwangsi to Taotai Wei Han, general manager of the Canton-Kowloon Railway, in which the governor expresses himself satisfied with the terms of the proposed survey agreement, and authorises Taotai Wei, subject to the approval of the Board of Communications, to conclude an agreement on his behalf.

It appears that, acting under the advice of Mr. Grove, engineer-in-chief of the Canton-Kowloon Railway, a lump sum of 3,4001. was offered to Messrs. Paulings for the survey. This offer was accepted, and about a fortnight ago Mr. Ormsby, an engineer in the employ of Messrs. Paulings, arrived in Canton with a letter to Taotai Wei from Lord ffrench.

Matters were, however, less far advanced than had been anticipated. The governor of Kwangsi had expressed a desire, before entering into any agreement, to know exactly what was meant by a detailed reconnaissance survey such as Messrs. Paulings had offered to make.

Mr. Grove had drawn up a memorandum, copy of which I have the honour to enclose,* and a translation had only just been prepared and forwarded to Kweilin.

Mr. Ormsby was therefore compelled to wait until the governor should have had time to consider this memorandum.

From the governor's telegramn it appears that he is quite willing to make Mr. Grove's memorandum the basis of an agreement with Messrs. Paulings, and Mr. Ormsby assures me that Messrs. Paulings will be equally content to do all that they will be required to do under the terms of the memorandum.

Subject, therefore, to the consent of the Board of Communications, the arrange- ment seems in a fair way to a satisfactory settlement.

I have thought it well to suggest to Taotai Wei Han that Messrs. Paulings will expect a clause in the agreement giving them the option of constructing the line should it be decided to build it with foreign assistance.

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* Not printed.

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