CO129-491 - Public Offices - 1925 — Page 237

TRANSIT DUTIES IN FRAGH LIDO-CHINA.

233

Department.

Copies of this donorandan are enclosed and the Board desire me to suggest, for the consideration of Ar. Secretary Chamberlain, that Red, Anbassador at Paris should now be instructed to approngh the French Government with a request based on the case stated in the 'enormɔdus that the conditions under which Eritish trade with china saing the limiphong-Bannan Railway has to be carried on should be aseliorated on the line: indicated in motio. VI of the sesorandus,

Should the reply of the Fresh Government be considered unsatisfactory the matter would presumably be referred to tha League of antlo is under the Prando's of Transit Convention and the femora udun has bosa frased with a view to this eventuality.

? an to add that copies of this letter are balug sent to the Colonial office and the Tadla office with a request that if they desire to wks ang observations upon the matter at this stage these should be co usuniented at aŭ sarly date to your Department and to the Board of Trade.

1. Owing to the configuration of the coasts of Southern China and Franch Indo-China the natural trade route between the extreme South West province of China, Yunnan, which has a population of 10,000,000, approximately, and the sea lies through French Indo-China to the port of Haiphong. Prior to the construction of the present railway, transport from Yunnan for the capital of the province was carried on by river to Manhao on the frontier between China and Tonkin.

In 1910, the Yunnan Railway was opened for traffic, is 853 km. long, of which 389 km, is in Tonkin (Haiphong to Lmokay) and 464 km. in Yunnan (Hokin to Yunnanfu), It la worked by a French Company, the Compagnie des Chemina de For de l'Indo-Chine et du Yunnan,

Other routes for the trade of Yunnan as at present developed exist only (1) from Burma via Teng-Yueh on the Sino-Burmese frontier with railway so.inection only from Rangoon to Bhano a distance of more than 1,000 km., leaving some 600 km., to be covered by animal transport, and

It

I have the honour to be,

sir,

four obvulgut servant,

(Bigned) J. J. WIL

(2) from Canton via Pese (or Pose) of which a very considerable distance has to be accomplished by road. These routea however are only practicable for traffic in small volume; in 1980 for example the trade across the Sino-Burmese frontier at Bhano - Tengyueh was only 5 lakhs of rupees in value.

The Haiphong route remains therefore the only practicable route for the foreign trade of Yunnan, and in 1923 the transit trade by this route was valued at 272,000,000 francs, the exporta from Yunnan being 82,500,000 franco of which practically the whole went to Hongkong; the imports were 190,000,000 francs of which 127,000,000

/ from