CO129-476 - Acting Governor Claud Severn & Governor Sir Stubbs - 1922 [8-12] — Page 394

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CONFIDENTIAL.

Hon. Colonial Secretary,

Mr. F. A. Fixon, Postal Commissioner, Poking District, is now down here. He says that he has not the smallest doubt that the Japanese will not withdraw. The Chinese have raised the question of the withdrawal of the Japanese post offices from the Manchurian, railway zone. The Japanese delegates assert that these offices were never contemplated when the agreement was made at Washing- ton. There have also been a number of demands by the Japanese and I gathered from Mr. "izon that there had been considerable friction all round. I told r. Nixon that

I thought that the Chinese were extremely stupid to mix up the railway zone and postal agencies in China proper. I do not think that any honest man could maintain that a Japanese Post Office in a Japanese railway station on e Japanese railmy we on the same footing as a Postal Agenov

in Chine. Mr. Nixon agreed with me and asid that he

thought that the Japanese delegates were quite honest in

saying that they had not considered for a moment that the

railway zone was to be included in their discussions. Mr.

Nixon said however that he believed that the Chinese

wished to break off the negociations, many postal demands

had been made which they did not wish to accept, and that

it might be better to break off the negociations on some- thing which might be made to appear to be a big political issue, rather than on some subject of postal detail. Any how the matter has been referred to Tokyo and the Japanese members of the commission have declared that if the rail- way sone is included in future discussions they will be unable to withdraw from China.

Mr. Nixon also tells me that at a meeting of postal

experts