CO129-503-8 Treatment of Asiatic British subjects by French Authorities in Indo-China 30-12-1926 - 20-10-1927 — Page 35

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It is a

8. For some time part 1t has been noticed that the

policy of making Indochins a closed area to foreign

enterprise is being pursued more tenaciously.

short sighted policy as any one can see that capital emst

be introduced if the country is to be developed and at the

same time with a sadly depreciated frane the Frenela

Investor is not keen to send his savings here especially

now when attempte are being made to save the frane and

restabilise it. Moreover the foreign capitalist is

unlikely to interest himself in a country where the rule

that 2/3 of the directers must be French binders his

administering his own enterprises, where all foreign

import trade in discouraged and where he is at a perpetual

disadvantage with his French competitor, to say nothing of

the continual schemes to make the foreigner pay the greater

proportion of the taxation.

I have, etc..

(Signed) F.G. GORTON.

This Despatch has been addressed to London and Paris.

Copies have been forwarded to Hong Kong, Singapore

and Delhi,