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Mr. Collins.
Mr.Cox.
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HongKong Opium.
Having heard that, owing to the absence of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer this lon: outstanding question
had been left in the handsof Sir George Hurray for
settlement I went to see him last night, with the per-
mission of the Secretary of State.
Sir George informed me that he had arrived at a
Bast decision, the of all possible decisions viz: to
give us what we asked. On enquiring for full particulars
of what the Treasury proposed to give, he informed me that he had decided to give £12,000 for 1911 and a similer
sum for 1912 over and above the £9000 already promised for
1910, as put forward in the Colonial Office letter of 24th
March.
I informed him that this did not meet our demands
and that nothing short of a settlement on the terms set
forth in the last 2 peregraphs of Lord Crewe's Cabinet
Memorandum of the 4th October 1910 would meet the case.
I protested against a decision of so important
a matter being arrived at without the consent of Lord Crewe
who had undertaken to continue to represent the Colonial
Office, on this question.
Sir George then explained that he could not commit the Treasury to an unknown liability and that they
never could undertake a settlement on those lines.
I told him that I fully recognised his objcc- tions and pointed out that we were as much in the dark as they were as to the actual loss.
I explained that the matter had nothing to do with the revenue and expenses of the Colony
and that it
was
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