CO129-492 - Governor Sir Clementi - 1925 [12] - 1926 [1-5] — Page 550

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the unification of China under a form of Goverment after their

own hearts.

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The fifth and sixth questions asked by the Foreign Office inquire whether it would be politic for His Majesty's Goverment to propose to pay over the proceeds of the Washington surtaxes direct to provincial administration. and how such a proposal, if made, would affect the anti-British boycott in Kuang-tung. It is impossible to answer these questions with any assurance until it is known whether or not China will again be unified under a Central Government, and (if so) what the relations of such Central Government to the eighteen Provinces will be. Moreover, the composition and nature of the Canton Government is apparently now undergoing drastic changes, and nothing certain can yet be said concerning its probable future policy. At the present moment China south of the Yargtase is broken in pisces and China north of the Yangtaze is engaged in civil war. There is chaos, anarchy and strife all over the land and no one can tell what the result will be. I consider, therefore,- and in this my

that it would Executive Council unanimously agrees with me –

be prudent, if possible,to defer all final decisions in connection with the Washington surtaxes and the Tariff Conference at Peking until events show whether or not an effective Central Government will be established in China. Moreover, I do not believe that under existing circumstances the anti-British boycott in Kuang-tung would be affected by action taken in respect of the Washington surtares, although opposition by us to the allocation to Canton of surtaxes collected in Kuang-tung would certainly cause anti-British feeling, while British initiative in proposing such allocation might possibly have a conciliatory influence on the Cantonese. My Executive Council unanimously concurs in this opinion and I telegraphed to you accordingly on the 20th May.

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