CO129-372 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 336

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

CHINA RAILWAYS.

2

(

CONFIDENTIAL.

[21453]

No. 1.

333

E O

[Jane 163958

SECTION 2.

Rege 8 JUL 10

Mr. Max Müller to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received June 16.)

(No. 165.) Sir,

Peking, May 25, 1910. WITH reference to my despatch No. 140 of the 4th instant, I have the honour to transmit to you herewith copy of a despatch from His Majesty's consul-general at Hankow showing that the Acting Governor-General of the Hukuang provinces is giving his official support to the aims of the Hupei Railway Association.

An extract from a native newspaper, translation of which is also enclosed berewith for your information, shows the kind of pressure which is being exercised by the officials in order to induce all classes to contribute to the funds of the association. There can be no doubt that, as pointed out in my despatch above mentioned, all this agitation will, as time goes on, make it increasingly difficult for the Governments concerned to enforce the observance by the Chinese Government of the terms of the initialled agreement of the 6th June last.

I have, &c.

Enclosure 1 in No. 1.

W. G. MAX MÜLLER,

(No. 58.) Sir,

Consul-General Fraser to Mr. Mox Müller.

Hankow, May 14, 1910.

I REGRET to have to report that, as shown by the enclosed newspaper extract, the Acting Governor-General Jui-cheng is extending official support to the Hupei Railway Association, the anti-foreign propagandisni of which has been shown in previous reports.

pressure

The result of his Excellency's action must be to license the use of official to secure subscriptions to this hostile association, as well as to give official countenance to such anti-foreign libels as the second enclosure in my despatch No. 77 of the 8th December, 1908.

The second extract in my despatch No. 37 of to-day's date exemplifies the system that will now prevail throughout the province, each division of every district being assessed for a quota of shares, and the gentry, with the aid of the official tax-collecting staff, given a free hand in obtaining the requisite subscriptions quite irrespective of the ability or wishes of the inhabitants, who will naturally blame the foreignor as the ultimate reason for the additional burden.

I have, &c.

E. H. FRASER.

Enclosure 2 in No. 1.

Extract from the "Kung Lun Hsin Pao" of May 12, 1910.

HUPEI RAILWAYS: VICEROY AUTHORISES PROCLAMATIONS INVITING SUBSCRIPTIONS,

THE Hupei Szechuan-Canton-Hankow lines having been won back to the railway company, collection of share subscriptions is now the chief essential to progress. The directors of the company have already decided to send officers to every district exhorting subscriptions, in the hope of raising the full amount in ready money for an early commencement of work on the line, and recently Mr. Liu Hsin Yuan submitted in a petition a detailed statement of these officers duties to his Excellency the Governor-General of the Hukuang provinces for sanction, and requested the

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