CO129-437 - Public Offices - 1916 — Page 619

sir.

j

Lanolamres.

€0217

British Legation,

617

REC REG 200CT 16

Feking,

Septemuer 1, 1916.

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt

of Your Excellency's Confidential despatch of the 31st July in which you were good enough to trans- mit for my information copy of a despatch address

ed by you to the Secretary of state for the Colon- les regarding the proposed opening of a branch of

the Bank of China in hongkong.

The question of the exact status of the Bank of China and the Bank of Communications has come into prasinence recently owing to the order issued by the Chinese Goverment on my 12th last sus- pending *pecie payments by these two institutions, The result of this order has been to imperil the existence of the two Banka particularly of the

Bank of Commani cations and until the fate of

·

the measures now being devised for their rehabili- tation is know it would be presature to venture any forecast as to the eventual form in which they

will renew their activities.

I agree, however, that the relations of both Banke with the Chinese overment in the part have been of such a nature as to render the opening of uranches in Hongkong without the express consent of your Goverment an improper proceeding.

Both ranks are incorporated in Chios and any

Drench

Joellency

Henry Hay K.C..........D.,

etc.. etc.,

sto.

Governor and Commander-in-Chief

HG NGF GNO,