CO129-501-2 Chinese situation- Boxer indemnity 5-2-1927 - 14-12-1927 — Page 138

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Fara. 1. Why should the Willingdon Report 'exasper-

ate and prolong the present difficulties'?

It is, and

so, too, is the Report of the Buxton Committee, a careful and sympathetic statement regarding educational institutions,

etc. and the method of dealing with the Indemnity Funds. The sections regarding railway construction and the Science

Institute were written chiefly by Chinese members (Messrs.

Wang and Ting respectively).

When

Para. 2. The reason why the Delegation did not visit

Hongkong was because the Hongkong Government strongly pro- tested against its also visiting Canton on the same occasion.

Hongkong desired to utilise the presence of the Delegates in

order to demonstrate against Canton; and it would have been

unwise of the British members and impossible for the Chinese

members to lend themselves to this kind of manoeuvre, and

to have visited Hongkong without visiting Canton too.

the question of a visit to Canton was first raised, the

Governor of Hongkong strongly opposed the proposal, but urged that the Delegation should visit Hongkong only, and

deliberately exclude Canton. The Secretary of State for

Foreign Affairs, therefore, decided that in the circumstances

the delegation had better not visit either Hongkong or Can-

ton, but that the question should be postponed for the mo-

ment. Later, the Advisory Committee in London strongly

advised a visit both to Hongkong and to Canton before the

Delegation completed its work. This was again opposed by

the Hongkong Government; but the opposition was overruled

by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and the Dole-

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gation...