CO129-461 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1920 [5-7] — Page 303

363

deliwneem odd ml .ylleno:19q Ji dòiw Lesb neo yazqmo) and .. amet edd ni noiðspilìbom yas tol been steinermi on 8789qq8

,19670 art

.oje,aved I

Copy.

To Shanghai No.58.

No.58.

Sir,

Peking,

26th March, 1920.

299

On February 11th, Mr. W. B.Kennett, a British Director of the British American Tobacco Company (China) Ltd.

who was then in Peking, communicated to Sir John Jordan the

gist of a message which he had sent to his London Board in con-

nection with the China Companies Order in Council of 1919. He

suggested that the Company should appeal to H. M. Government

for the promulgation of a supplementary Order in Council,

authorising the issue by H. M. Minister of licences for non-

British managers of China Companies in cases where real hard- ship or practical disabilities would ensue from the strict

enforcement of the new amending Order. A precedent for the

procedure suggested was quoted in Article 14 of the China Com- pany Order in Council of 1915.

Sir John Jordan was disposed to consider the

suggestion, as providing a solution for difficulties which have

already arisen, and which may arise in the future, in finding

suitable British managers for Companies, and more especially for

Companies subsidiary to big manufacturing or distributing Com-

panies, the nature of whose business requires special or tech-

nical knowledge. As an instance may be quoted the Lopato Tobacco Company in Manchuria, which was taken over from Mr. Lopeto and the success of which is held by the parent Company to be largely dependent on his Russian connection. The British American Tobacco Co. is indeed likely to be the Company most affected for the present by the new Order and, although Sir John Jordan held that its general Manager in China, and the con- trol of its policy, must in future be undisputably British, he recognised the practical advantages of securing the most

Sir E. H. Fraser, K.Č.M.G.,

H. B. M. Consul-General,

Shanghai.