CO129-372 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 567

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Gevement?

CHINA RAILWAYS.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[18879]

No. 1.

563

23322

REG 26 AUG 10

IREC

[May 27.

SECTION 1.

Mr. Max Müller to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received May 27.) (No. 102.) (Telegraphic.) P.

Peking, May 27, 1910. WITH reference to your despatch No. 116 of the 9th April and the despatch of the 25th February from His Majesty's consul-general at Yunnan-fu respecting the Tengyueh-Blamo Railway, I have the honour to report that I was informed yesterday by the President of the Wai-wu Pu that no suggestions of a definite nature were contained in the communication from the Viceroy, which merely enlarged on the difficulties, political, financial, and local. He said that up to the present no information sufficiently precise to form a basis for a practical consideration of the subject was in the possession of the Chinese Government. Referring to the previous history of the Tengyueh-Bhamo Railway, I said that surveys had long ago been made by our engineers, and tried to persuade his Excellency, while leaving details to be discussed later, to accept construction in principle, but he insisted that no satisfactory report could be made to the Throne by the Board of Communications and the Wai-wu Pu until a report, estimates, and survey, had been drawn up on the Chinese side. His Excellency suggested that if any of the Indian Government's engineer's reports or surveys could be available for examination the Board of Communications would be glad to see them. I said. I would enquire whether this could be arranged.

I felt that it was necessary to convey a warning to his Excellency that in the event of recourse having to be had to foreign assistance His Majesty's Government would view with displeasure the employment of others than English, though I understood that Chinese engineers exist who are capable of carrying out surveys.

[2761 dd-1]