CO129-382 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 274

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and represent him as impressing on the Honanese the advantages to be derived from the construction of a line from Kaifeng-fu vià K'aocheng and Tsaochow-fu to Yenchow-fu in its stead. This last-named place is some 75 miles south of Chinan, in Shantung, and will be on the main line of the Tien-tsin-Pukow railway, which would thus make Tsingtao the outlet for Honan trade.

Macao Delimitation Question.

This subject made its reappearance in the native press after a long absence in the shape of an article stating that the support given to Portugal by Great Britain on this question was due to the friendship that existed between the two Crowns. It opined that, under existing conditions in Portugal, the whole situation was changed.

Finance.

In an article appearing in a native paper on the weakness of the country's finances, it is claimed that a saving of 40,000,000 dollars might be effected annually by doing away with superfluous officials and offices.

It is further rumoured that the Senate contemplate cutting down the ariny estimates. It will be remembered that when the budget was published these estimates were stated to amount to one-third of the total expenditure, or to over 100,000,000 taels per annum. Retrenchment is being strenuously opposed by the heads of the Army Board and the General Staff.

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

3447

AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

LO

[January 3.]

CONFIDENTIAL.

13 FEB 11

SECTION 1.

[47134/10]

No. 1.

Sir Edward Grey to Sir J. Jordan.

Foreign Office, January 3, 1911.

(No. 1.) (Telegraphic.) R.

MY telegram No. 157 of 10th December, 1910: Burmah-Yunnan frontier. Report received from India of damage done to a boundary pillar south of Mauang Bum, northernmost point to which frontier has been delimited. Between that point and Nanting River Chinese authorities have during last year disputed accuracy of eleven boundary pillars, destroyed one, and defaced another.

You might take suitable opportunity of adding to your previous representations a remonstrance in respect of last case, which illustrates futility of demand of Chinese Government for joint delimitation of frontier north of Manang Bum, since they themselves display such flagrant contempt for results of joint delimitation south of it.

[1850 e-1]

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