CO129-378 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1911 [6-7] — Page 57

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You. 1449

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lends colour to the argument. He said "We have large interests

"there in places like Hongkong where we maintain a Garrison

"which would be by no means in excess were there to be a rising,

"which there was some years ago with the Boxers". I need hardly

remind you that the Boxer rising was entirely confined to China.

Sir J. Jordan writing on 12th. April, 1909, used similar

language saying that "In case of complications Peking depends or

"Hongkong or India". The well to do British Communities of

Shanghai and other Treaty Ports make no contribution in aid of

these land forces.

(d).

I gather from your telegram of

May 162

that you are not prepared to approve my proposal that the

annually decreasing amount of Revenue required for the service

of the Railway Loan, should be earmarked and exempted from the

Military Contribution, while the annually increasing receipts

from that undertaking should be assessed as Ordinary Revenue. If

that be so I venture to solicit very earnestly your reconsider-

-ation of this proposal which I do not primarily advance with a

view to reducing the Military Contribution but because it

appears to me an anomaly that the burden should fall most

heavily upon the present generation of taxpayers, just when the

work is least remunerative.

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(e).