CO129-496 - Public Offices - 1926 — Page 91

A

90

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to adopt a similar attitude. The question arises in this connection whether such an announcement should

be made by you in the first place, or whether we should first consult with the other Powers,

Do you

think that in present circumstances a direct announce- ment by you at the Conference would have better effect on the Chinese and be more difficult for the other Powers to resist the prior consultation by us with their governments, who might not only obstruct our proposed action, but misrepresent its motives to the Chinese government in some such way as was suggested in paragraph 6 of your Conference telegram No. 18 7

I have suggested granting the Washinṛton Eurtexes without conditions because if we endeavour to agree to conii sions the Conference may drag on indefinitely. The danger of not imposing any con- ditions, however, is that this would be tantamount to presenting the militarist for the time being in control of Peking with some 30 millions a year, and the experience of the last soven months suggests that this may lead to a further cycle of civil wars, rather than to any stabilisation of the new ad- ministration at Peking. Do you agree in the reality of this danger, and, if so, have you any suggestions as to how it may be averted?

5. With regard to the proposed promise to grant tariff autonomy the Board of Trade, whom we have

consulted...