CO129-405 - Public Offices - 1913 — Page 260

i

Copy to Hongkong-

NC. 59.

gir:-

C.O.

7040

Peking.

28 FEB 13

9019

259

FEB 25 1913)

Tebrizzy 5, 1913.

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your

despatch lk. 9 of the 13th January asking my observations on

a despatch from the Governor of Hongkong regarding the quos-

tion of obtaining from the Chinese Government a binding agee-

ment to take a conection between the Cantor-Fowloon and

Canton-Hankow Railways.

I am in full agreement with the views of Sir H. Hay as

to the importance which such a connection has for the Govern-

ment of liongkong and shall certainly neglect no opportunity

that occurs of pressing it upon the attention of the Chinese

Goverment. But I regret to ad: that I see little prospect

in the present state of things in this country of obtaining

any immediate realisation of such a project. For montha past

the attention of this Legation has been absorbed by loan

netlations the conditions of which have, as you are aware,

necessitated an almost total suspension of railway construc-

·

tion

The Right Honourable

Sir Edward Grey, Bart., E.G., M.P.,

bc..

&C..

ac..