CO129-488 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1925 [1-7] — Page 317

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Copy.

CONFIDENTIAL.

Enclosure / .

303

Government House,

Hongkong, 29th April,

1916.

gir,

I have the honour to report that consequent upon the declaration of independence of Kwangtung Province

on the 6th instant, the Chinese Telegraph Administration at

Peking notified through the International Office at Berne

the suspension, under Article VIII of the International

Convention, of international telegraphic correspondence with Kwangtung except as regarde foreign Goverment telegrams, at senders' risk, and Chinese Government telegrams; and the cable companies here were notified

accordingly by the Chinese Administration at Peking.

2+

These restrictions seriously prejudice the

trade of this Port, which has need of constant international

telegraphic communication with Canton. In addition, the

local office of the Chinese Administration which is, 28

you are aware, situated in the cable company's offices, Was

directed by the Chinese Telegraph Administration at Peking,

to suspend local traffic with Canton. Such suspension would ·

have been very prejudicial to the trade of this port, and

since this local Chinese Office is under my control at

present owing to the state of war, I gave directions that

it must continue to exchange local traffic with Canton as

usual, subject to the censorship which has been instituted

in the interests of law and order in the province, and which

after the declaration of independence by Kwangtung I formul-

ated for the guidance of the censorate as follows:-

(1).

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

ANDREW BONAR LAW, M.P..

&c.,

&C.,

&c.