475
capital expended by Hongkong was given full allowance for. Yuan, however, stated that a letter in that sense had been written by Sir Hắnry May to Mr. Groves which was in their possession.
e
Subsequently ad after further discussion during which C. K. Yuan harped on the impossibility of the line ever paying, Lord Li raised his offer to 30% 70% which he stated was absolutely the greatest concession the Ministry could give. Sir John again declared that he could not possibly accept it for he considered the proportion of 40% 60% the only fair figure. 0, K. Yuan urged Sir John to accept the offer saying that we ought to be content with having gained a rise of ten points. Yuan's attention was then drawn to tha fact that the Chinese negotiator in Hongkong had already offered 30% 70%. Yuan replied that if he had done this he had acted without any authority. Yuan then began to explain the difficulties of Lord Li's position. He said that it would be no easy matter for the Ministry to concede as much as they had done for Chinese public opinion and also the cry of "China for the Chinese" was very strong at present. Sir/ John rejoined that such arguments were not worth being treated seriously. C. K. Yuan then asked that their offer of 30,-- 70% should be accepted and he pointed out, perhaps by way of a threat, that no definite time was stated within which the
Kowloon Canton-Hanks/Liné Line was to be linked up with the Canton- Hankow Line and that the Chinese Goverment were not obliged to make the connection. Sir John retorted that His Majesty's Government would be quite prepared to deal with any question of that sort when it came up but he felt sure, he added, that the Chinese Government would never contemplate such an idea.
Finally Sir John offered to cut the difference
between the two offers, viz., 30% 70% of the Ministry and
40%
60% of Hongkong, and suggest to Hongkong the acceptance
of
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