CO129-384 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 272

269

Shong,

Hongkong as a British Colony that it should ran in there as the office of a Chinese Goverment Department, who had handled and signed almost every Tolegraph Agrement during the last 30 years, recalled the history of the nego- tuations of 1883 and 1884 in which he had taken a prominent part, laid stress upon their interdependence, and concluded with a blunt inquiry as to how it was proposed to coupen- sate China for the privileges granted to the Eastern Exten- sion Telegraph Company at Sharp Peak and Woosung. plied that I had only raised the question inforally and vas not prepared to discuss details, His Excellency took

a keen personal interest in the question and shoved clearly that he would not waive any of the rights enjoyed by China without a struggle and a substantial quid pro quo. It is

50

I re-

perhaps unfortunate that a man who was closely associated with all these agreements should now be President of the

Board of Communications but it is nevertheloss a factor in

the situation which it would be uwise to ignore.

I should perhaps add that the conclusion of the

Loan Agreement in April last between the Eastern Extension

and