CO129-507-9 Chinese Telegraph Office- Hong Kong- transfer to Cantonese control 4-1-1928 - 20-7-1928 — Page 57

No.104.

Enclosure No.3 in Mr. Brenan's despatch No.51 of April

sir,

16th, 1928.

H. B. M. Consulate General,

Canton.

March 22nd, 1928.

57

With reference to Your Excellency's despatch No. 57

of the 20th March regarding the Chinese telegraph office in Hongkong.I have the honour to enclose a copy of a letter which

I have addressed on the subject to the Commissioner for

Foreign Affairs.

This letter was handed by Mr.Vice Consul Hall

personally to Mr. Cha Chao-hsin today. Mr. Hall reinforced

by verbal representations the points on which Your Excellency lays stress and impressed on Mr. Cha the necessity for secrecy as explained in the last paragraph of your despatch. Mr. Chu stated that while he thoroughly appreciated the advantages of secrecy, which he would make every endeavour to preserve, at the same time he entertained little fear that Mr. Lau, with who i he was personally acquainted, would act in the manner suggested.

With regard to the title to be given to the merchant taking charge of the Telegraph Office, Mr. Cha asserted that

in an interview with Your Excellency it had been agreed that

this should be

and not

ag

stated in the 3rd paragraph of your despatch ander reference.

While Mr. Cha had no objection to the English version of the latter title as stated in the second paragraph of your despatch

he could not see his way to consent to a departure from the Chinese form which had been mutually agreed upon, without first

obtaining the concurrence of Marshal Li. He also considered

His Excelle noy,

The Governor,

Hongkong.

that/