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It is possible, of course, that you may have already taken some action which you would probably find it inconvenient to communicate by telegram, in which case you will doubtless be kind enough to amplify your telegram by letter as soon as conveniently possible.
We shall, of course, send you a copy of the minutes of our meeting as soon as they have been prepared.
PERCY H. KENT,
China Association, Tientsin,
COPY.
November 7th, 1914.
Chairman, Tientsin Branch.
H.M. Consulate-General,
Tientsin, 13th October, 1914.
Circular to British Banking Firms.
SIB,
71
Acting Consul-General to Shanghai Branch
H.B.M. Consulate-General,
Shanghai, November 6th, 1914.
The legal position as regards trading with the enemy having now been clearly defined, I am directed by His Majesty's Minister to ascertain the views of your Association as to whether British merchants in Shanghai are prepared to forego their legal rights and to eschew all transactions with Germans and Austrians, provided that we can secure effective co-operation on exactly the same lines on the part of French, Japanese, and Russian firms.
In Tientsin, all British merchants, export firms, banks and shipping firms are prepared to act thus subject to the condition mentioned, and if British merchants at Shanghai accept this view as well, Sir John Jordan is prepared to submit a recommendation on these lines to His Majesty's Government.
I am instructed by His Majesty's Minister that British banking firms are not acting in contravention of the terms of His Majesty's Proclamations in negotiating bills drawn by German Austro-Hungarian firms in China to cover cargo shipped by them provided that the purchaser and consignee of the cargo and the acceptor of the bill are of allied or neutral nationality, and that the destination of the cargo is an allied or neutral territory.
ROBERT WILLIS,
COPY.
Acting Consul-General.
H.M. Consulate General,
Tientsin, October 13th, 1914.
Circular to British Shipping Firme.
I am instructed by His Majesty's Minister that British shipping firms are not acting in contravention of the terms of His Majesty's Proclamations in accepting cargo from German or Austro-Hungarian firms provided that the destination of the cargo is an allied or neutral port.
ROBERT WILLIS,
Acting Consul-General.
I am, &c,
H. A. J. Macray, Esq.,
Vice-Chairman, China Association, Shanghai.
W. MEYRICK HEWLETT,
Acting Consul-General.
SIR,
Shanghai Branch to H.M, Consul-General, Shanghai.
China Association,
Shanghai, 18th November, 1914.
I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of Mr. Hewlett's letter of the 6th November on the question of trading with the enemy, which has had the careful attention of my Committee. The Tientsin Branch of the Association has also put its views before the Shanghai Committec, but in these it has been found certain points have been overlooked.
In the first place it was considered that the German and Austrian trade is now inconsiderable, and secondly, that there are established in China two Dutch and one American Bank capable of dealing with it. Due consideration was given to the question of the co-operation of French, Russian and Japanese firms, and it was the opinion of my committee that it would be next to impossible to obtain this.
The main point as to whether measures of the kind indicated by Sir John Jordan would have any effect on the general political or military situation was considered and after discussion it was decided that no practical result would be achieved.
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