CO129-371 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 75

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C.O

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

2765

AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[46951]

(No. 23.) Sir,

Rece [December 288 JAN 10.

SECTION 8.

No. 1.

Consul-General O'Brien-Butler to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received December 28.)

Yünnan-ju, November 15, 1909.

I HAVE the honour to forward herewith copies of two despatches which I bave sent to His Majesty's Minister at Peking on the subject of the Yunnan Provincial Assembly.

I have, &c.

P. E. O'BRIEN-BUTLER.

Inclosure 1 in No. 1.

(No. 46.) Sir,

Consul-General O'Brien-Butler to Sir J, Jordan.

Yünnan-fu, October 30, 1909. IN compliance with your telegraphic instructions, I have the honour to furnish you with the following short report on the subject of the Yunnan Provincial Assembly. Sixty-two members in all were elected, being 4 from each of the 14 prefectures of the province, with one, or even two, extra members from the larger and more thickly- populated prefectures. Yunnan prefecture has returned 6 members.

The first meeting took place here on the 14th instant, when the chief officials and over 100 of the gentry of the province were present.

Mr. Chang Wei-ts'ung, a provincial graduate and expectant district magistrate of T'ung-hai district, Lin-an prefecture, was elected president; and Messrs. Chang Shih-hsun, a salaried senior licenciate and expectant assistant sub-prefect of Shih-p'ing department, Lin-an prefecture, and Tuan Tzu-ch'ing, a provincial graduate and expectant second-class assistant magistrate of an independent department of Pao-shan district, Yung-ch'ang prefecture, were elected vice-presidents.

The president is to be paid 80 dollars, the vice-presidents 60 dollars each, and the ordinary members 20 dollars each, for their services.

The present session is to last forty days. All subjects are to be opened by the Viceroy, and reports of the decisions arrived at are to be forwarded by him to Peking. The debates are to be published in the local newspapers.

The first subject for discussion is that of the levying of taxes for the support of schools.

A corresponding secretary resides in each prefectural city, with under-secretaries in the various towns subordinate to him. Their duty is to collect information on current topics and forward it to the assembly here. Their salaries vary according to the locality to which they belong.

I understand that the people of this city are very disappointed that none of their representatives were elected to office in the new assembly, and the officers of the Government here, both provincial and local, are correspondingly pleased.

I hope at a future date to furnish you with more information on the subject of the Yunnan Provincial Assembly, more especially with regard to its practical working, and also with a report on the Kucichou Provincial Assembly.

I have, &c.

P. E. O'BRIEN-BUTLER.

Inclosure 2 in No. 1.

(No. 49.) Sir,

Consul-General O'Brien-Butler to Sir J. Jordan.

Yunan-fu, November 12, 1909. WITH reference to your instructions that I should keep you informed regarding the progress made in my consular district of parliamentary institutions, I have the

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