CO129-480 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1923 [4-7] — Page 32

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with the Chinese population in view of what happened last year when some trivial quarrel led to a serious riot and the shooting of a number of Chinese, as a result of which

the relations between Macao and Canton were very strained for many months.

6.

The Governor had invited the leading

officials and residents of Macao to meet us at luncheon

during which he delivered a speech in Portuguese of which

I attach an English translation (furnished by his Private Secretary). I replied in the same spirit of cordiality.

The remainder of the afternoon up to 4

o'clock, when we left for Hongkong, was spent in visiting

various points of interest in the city and in getting a general impression of the works which the Government is

now undertaking.

One work of considerable importance is the provision of storage tanks for rain-water. Hitherto the town has been supplied by water brought over by boat from

the island of Lapa and this dependence on an external

supply was the cause of considerable anxiety to the late

Governor Correis da Silva at the time when the Cantonese

were threatening to attack Macao. The intention now is

to supply the European quarter of the town from the tanks under construction, The Chinese population are, I gather,

to be left to look after themselves in the event of the

supplies from Lapa being cut off.

I was glad, however, to learn from the

Governor that his relations with Canton were now much

better than they had been for a long time past and he

seemed confident that the vexed question of the boundary

would be settled amicably as Dr. Sun Yat Sen had expressed concurrence in his view that the matter was one which should be referred to the League of Natione for decision. Whether the fall of Sun Yat Sen, which at

the

Gp. 140 60,000 11-22 W & Lod.