2
to be in the employment of the Board of Posts and Communications, accompanied by a Chinese named Sheng, described as a sub-director of that board.
This party, it is said, had a general mandate to study likely railway routes, and were on the point of starting on a tour of inspection of the country between Kueilin and Nanning. On their return there is reason to believe that they will go over the Kueilin-Chuan-chou survey, and perhaps, if their report thereon be favourable, something tangible may result.
may
Incidentally it be remarked than an alleged lack of proper respect shown to them led to strained relations with the governor, whereas Mr. Ormsby was invariably treated with courtesy and afforded every assistance.
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.)
CHINA RAILWAYS.
CONFIDENTIAL.
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I am promised a tracing of the survey, and, when received, will send you a copy.
I have, &c.
(No. 483.)
Sir,
J. W. JAMIESON.
No. 1.
405
293
[February 19.] MAR 10
SECTION 2.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received February 19, 1910.)
Peking, December 24, 1909. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 325 of the 1st November, in which you enclose copy of a letter from the India Office, enquiring whether steps should be taken to come to an agreement with the Chinese Government regarding the construction of the Bhamo-Tengyueh Railway, and instructing me to furnish you with my views on the subject.
My despatch No. 400 of the 2nd November will have shown you that the matter has continued to engage my attention, but there is unfortunately little prospect at present of a speedy settlement of the negotiations.
On the 4th November I telegraphed instructions to His Majesty's consul-general at Tünnan-fu to keep the question steadily before the attention of the provincial authorities, but as the new Viceroy only reached his post on the 26th November, there has not yet been time to hear the result of Mr. O'Brien-Butler's representations.
The set-back which all railway negotiations have experienced during the last few months has naturally reacted upon this question and made it more difficult to gain a hearing for it.
Since the receipt of your despatch I have had a long conversation with his Excellency Liang Shih-yi, the director-general of railways, on the subject. I put before him, as clearly and forcibly as I could, all the considerations urged in the despatch from the Government of India of the 26th August last, and pressed him to use his influence in promoting the early construction of this line on terms to be arranged between our two Governments.
He quoted the statistics of trade published in the customs returns of Tengyuch as not justifying the hope that the railway would prove remunerative, and said that there were so many other lines whose construction was an urgent necessity that he hesitated to recommend an undertaking which offered, in his opinion, but a slender hope of proving a financial success. He seemed, however, impressed by the mining potentialities of Yunnan as described by Mr. J. Coggin-Brown, but, as you are aware, the mineral resources of the country are not likely to undergo any great development until the Chinese Government changes its present policy of closing the door against the introduction of foreign capital for mining purposes.
I fully agree with the views expressed by the Government of India as to the im- portance of establishing railway communication between Burmah and Yunnan, and shall continue to do all that is possible in present circumstances to secure the attain- ment of that object.
I should add that the American engineers whose engagement was reported to you by Mr. O'Brien-Butler in his despatch No. 49 of the 17th November last are, accord- ing to Mr. Liang Shih-yi, to be employed exclusively in connection with the extension to Szechuan of the Yünnan-fu Railway.
I am, &c.
J. N. JORDAN.
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