CO129-384 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 164

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the Hong Kong Government has recently rendered to the Provincial Government at Canton, and request me to represent these matters to the Chinese Government and to urge the Wai-wu Po in return to assent without further delay to the reasonable demands of the Hong Kong Government with regard to the working agreement for the Canton-Kowloon Railway.

I took advantage of an interview which I had with the Wai-wu Pu on the 9th instant to make a representation to the Ministers in the general sense of your Excellency's remarks, but I found that they had little or no knowledge of the various questions alluded to in your despatch.

They had heard that Mr. Wei Han had visited your Excellency in Hong Kong in regard to measures connected with the suppression of crime, but they apparently did not attach great importance to his mission as they informed me that Mr. Wei Han held no substantive official position. But for reasons to which I shall advert in a subsequent despatch, I did not consider that I was justified, in the absence of information from His Majesty's consul-general at Canton, in acting upon the suggestions made in paragraph 9 of your despatch.

It seemed to me equally inadvisable to communicate to the Wai-wu Pu the observations contained in paragraph 11, as they might possibly have been construed by them as reflecting unfavourably on the Government of India and the Straits Settlements Government. The Government of India made an unusual concession to China in issuing opium certificates at the time they did, for which the Wai-wu Pu have frequently expressed their gratitude, and if there is any irregularity in connection with the matter, the Chinese Government have the right under the new opium could not, therefore, admit agreement of supervising the issue of these certificates.

that Mr. Harris or the commissioners of customs at the treaty ports in China were not in a position to give effect to the opium agreement. On the contrary, it has been my duty to impress upon the Chinese Government and upon the acting inspector-general of customs that there was no insuperable difficulty in carrying out the agreement in view of the ample information furnished by the Government of India, and they have now both admitted the justice of this contention.

As to the draft Customs Convention alluded to in the 12th paragraph of your despatch, the President and Ministers of the Wai-wu Pu professed entire ignorance of the question. They said they had no knowledge of any negotiations or of any agreement. It was possible that Mr. Aglen, the acting inspector-general of customs, might have been in communication with the Revenue Council on the subject, but nothing had reach them.

After some pressure the Ministers promised to speak to Sheng Kung Pao in favour of the conclusion of the working agreement, but said that I knew as well as they did that their advice would probably not carry much weight with the president of the Board of Communications, who had great experience in such questions and was accustomed to act on his own judgment.

Sheng Kung Pao's illness has so far prevented me from seeing him on the subject, but I hope to arrange for an interview at an early date, and shall do all I can to secure the acceptance of the working agreement.

In the meantime the acting inspector-general of customs informs me privately that he has received a telegram from the commissioner of customs at Kowloon reporting that the Viceroy at Canton, with whom the Kowloon commissioner has apparently been in communication on the subject, is prepared to accept the working agreement; but naturally I am not in a position to act upon irregular communica tions of this kind, which would probably not advance matters in a discussion with a man like Sheng Kung Pao, who resents outside interference in the affairs of his department. If the Viceroy's support is considered necessary, it would be far better, in my opinion, that it should be obtained through His Majesty's consul-general

at Canton.

I should perhaps add that Liang Shih-yi has been relegated to a subordinate position in the Wai-wu Pu, and has no longer any voice in the question.

I have, &c.

J. N. JORDAN.

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

CHINA RAILWAYS.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[25808]

162

C O

[July 3.]

23921

SECTION 3.

Rece

Rra922 JUL I No. I.

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received July 3.)

(No. 251.) Sir,

WITH reference to my despatch No. 145 of the 31st March, I have the honour to

Peking, June 17, 1911. enclose the translation of a reply which I have received from the Wai-wu Fu, who state that, after consulting the Viceroy at Nanking, they do not propose to continue the discussion for the opening of Pukow to foreign trade at present.

I have, &c.

(Translation.)

Sir,

Enclosure in No. 1.

Prince Ch'ing to Sir J. Jordan.

J. N. JORDAN.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's note of the

Peking, June 15, 1911. 27th March last regarding the opening of Pukow to trade,

[Précis of note quoted.]

My board at once requested the superintendent of southern trade by telegraph to consider the matter, and have now received his reply to the following effect :--

Nanking has already been opened to trade, and is situated immediately opposite Pukow on the southern bank of the river, where the water is deep and the anchorage more convenient for steamers. Moreover, the railway administration have already purchased a large proportion of the land at Pukow for their own use, and the remainder is all the property of private owners.

As regards wharfage facilities for foreign merchants, the best plan would be to follow the procedure laid down in article 1 of the Additional Bules for Inland Waters Steam Navigation, under which the local officials are to provide warehouses and jetties and lease them to foreign merchants. Instructions have accordingly been given to the customs taotai and railway administration to consult together with a view to such an arrangement being made.

My board are of opinion that the report of the superintendent of southern trade represents the actual circumstances of the case, and that consequently further discussion of the opening of Pukow to trade can be postponed for the present.

I avail, &c.

[2099 c-3]

Prince CHING.

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