CO129-427 - Public Offices - 1915 — Page 52

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the subject of the petition, which is the expulsion

of German subjects from the British Concession on

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Shameen.

With regard to the attitude of individual German

residents on this Concession, I can only confirm the

statement made in my telegram of the 20th instant

that it has hitherto been quite correct. This state-

ment applies, of course, to their outward demeanour

only. Many of them have, undoubtedly, used every

endeavour to disseminate false news among the

Chinese, to magnify the achievements of their own

arms and to bring into contempt those of Great

Britain and the Allies, and it may be regarded as

certain that much of this propaganda has been and

still is prepared within the Concession. But as

regards the general behaviour of the Germans towards

the rest of the community on the Concession, there

exists, in my opinion, no ground for complaint. They

realise, I believe, that it is to their own interests

to preserve a quiet and orderly demeanour and I

learn