CO129-470 - Public Offices - 1921 — Page 172

toi

170

a

·

a monopoly

"fact that the Jananese obtained on the 5th March 1918

fortnight after the signature of the agement

"of China's external wireless communications for 30 years.

"It will be remembered that on the 20th February, 1918,

*I handed to the Japanese Legation a memorandum placing on record "the fact that the only wireless teleTaph concession which "could be said to exist in China at that date was that of "the sritish Marconi Company. It now appears that a fortnight "later the Japanese forced the Chinese Goverment to enter "into an undertaking to abrogate the British rights accrued "under that concession by giving a monopoly for 30 years to "the itsui Jocpany, and bindin; themselves not to erect any "other high power station during that period".

W

*iet only is the description of the Japanese dovernment's "action contained in the penultimate nararaph of my despatch "Ho.lud of the 5th arch 191o fully borne out by the official

but it is ovident that that *information now available, "description did not go far enough.

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in the shape of the

The Japanese Government "did not confine themselves to snatchin; the enemy-tainted Lary areanent for the itaui Jomany, but they proceeded immediate

"tomake

use of the information imparted by me to br. Yoshizae "in order to erect a secret barrier

against any further "monopoly declaration of the 5th her ch "competition from the prior rights of the British company

"I trust that His Kajesty's Joverment will decide to "inform the Japanese Joverment that they regard the monopoly *declaration of the 5th Larch 1916, as an infringement of "undertakings previously given to the ilarconi Company on

the

14-

"the 8th April 1914, and will authorise me to inform *the Chinese Government at the same time that the "validity of the declaration cannot be recognised."

12. Both the Japanese and Chinese Goverments have been officially warned that His Majesty's Goverment do not recognise the validity of the declaration given to Messrs. Mitsui, and though both Goverments have refused to admit our protests, Japan knows that we have no intention of acquiescing in her claims and that we shall not allow the Hitsui monopoly to stand in our way.

13. (3). Harconi direless Talmhone Jontract for the The loan was for £600,000U, purchase of 200 telephone sata. of which about half was to be spent on the sets themselves, the romaining £300,000 being'in the nature of a loan to the Winitry of Jar. In return, China agreed to adopt exclusively the Karooni wireless telephone system for the duration of the loan, and Larooni was to have the first claim to establish in China a factory for the manufacture of wireless equipment.

14. (4) Marconi direlese Telegraph contract for the establishment of wireless communications between Kashgar and

Urumchi Glenfu. There wore to be three stations (Kashgar, and Lanchow) and the cost was to be £200,000.

15. (5) Chinese National direless Telegraph Company,

a joint stock An10-Chinese company formed by the Chinese Joverment and Larconi Commany with a charter for 20 years to manufacture wireless telephone and telegraph equipment, oto. The company has no right to operate commercial wireless stations in China, but receives priority

for