23
Tsingtao taxes (Peking telegram to Foreign Office
No. 397).
26. Meanwhile the Canton Finance Ministry pub- lished a notification appointing men of the "inspec-
tion corps" to proceed to Kowloon as well as to
Kongmoon, Lappa, Samshui, Kiungchow, Pakhoi, Swatov,
Wuchow, Nanning and Lungchow to establish offices for
collecting the new taxes on the same system as at
Canton. This was clearly an attempt to duplicate tho Customs organization in both the Kuang-tung and the
Kuang-hsi provinces; that is to say, wherever there
was a maritime or native customs station, a collec-
torate of the Canton Government was also established.
The ulterior object beyond doubt, as I pointed out to
you in my telegram of the 31st October, was the exter-
mination of the Chinese Maritime Customs and the
attainment of tariff autonomy.
27. Moreover, the so-called anti-British
Economic Boycott Committee at Canton passed a resolu- tion to begin taking stock of British goods stored in
Chinese shops or firms from the 1st November. Fifty thousand copies of the form used for this purpose were distributed to shops and firms to fill in particulars. The aim was to re-establish the boycott by intimidation of shopkeepers and merchants.
28. On the 30th October I discussed the Canton
situation with Mr. Brenan, who was on a visit to me in Hong Kong. Ho fully shared my view that it was the deliberate policy of the Canton Governmont to destroy foreign treaties and also to undermine and
overthrow
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