CO129-371 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 176

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

174

CO

CHINA RAILWAYS.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[1968]

No. 1.

3502

RECE [January 3 FEB 10

SECTION 1.

(No. 486.) Sir,

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.--(Received January 18, 1910.)

Peking, December 27, 1909. WITH reference to your despatch No. 350 of the 26th ultimo and the telegraphic correspondence which has since passed between us respecting the appointment of Mr. Ricketts as Engineer-in-chief of the Imperial railways of North China, I have the honour to report that his Excellency Lian Shih-yi, the Director-General of Railways, called upon me on the 24th instant and confirmed the news of Mr. Ricketts's selection for the post. I took the opportunity of impressing upon his Excellency the necessity of obviating a recurrence of the friction which had taken place in connection with the appointment of the late Mr. Bellingham, and begged him in particular to consult Mr. Hillier, the agent of the British and Chinese Corporation, as regards the wording of the agreement.

This he agreed to do, and said that he anticipated no difficulty in removing the chief objections we had raised to Mr. Bellingham's agreement. He was willing to modify the clause with regard to the disclosure of information in such a way as to exclude the British and Chinese Corporation from its operation, and was prepared to meet as far as possible the wishes of the Corporation on the other points to which exception had been taken. The agreement, he added, would be signed on Mr. Ricketts's return to China.

Mr. Liang has an unfortunate habit of forgetting or minimising the effect of the engagements into which he enters, but the undertaking in the present instance was so explicit that I venture to hope it will be fulfilled.

[2581 -]

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I bave, &c.

J. N. JORDAN.