liminary tel.:
Are
12.0.10.
G.S. 12.9.16
alou
In any farther communication
on the subject, please quote
No. 177273/F.
and address-
The Under-Secretary of State,
Foreign Office,
London
Pressing.
Sir,
43511
REC
HEG 12 SEP 16
FOREIGN OFFICE
September 11th 1916.
550
I am directed by Viscount Grey of Fallodon to acknowledge the receipt of your letter 1946/1916 of the 6th instant, regarding a proposal to raise a Labour Corps of Chinese coolies for service
in France.
Although this proposal provides that the framework of the Corps shall be British, there is every reason to anticipate that, owing to the climatic conditions of a French winter, the bulk of the coolies required will have to be recruited among the hardier population of the North of China and that they will therefore be Chinese
citizens.
In these circumstances Lord Grey is of opinion that His Majesty's Minister at Peking as well as the Governor of Hongkong should be
consulted in the matter, and he would therefore be glad if Sir H. May could be instructed to repeat
the telegram addressed to him to Sir J.Jordan who
in turn will be asked to telegraph his observations both to Hongkong and the Foreign Office.
I am accordingly to request you to inform this Department of the date on which the telegram to Sir H. May is despatched.
The Under Secretary of State
Colonial Office.
The
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