CO129-517-1 Administration and function of Chinese Maritime customs- prevention of smuggling across Chinese frontiers 7-2-1929 - 15-11-1929 — Page 57

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- 7.

Imports and Exports being also present.

He then

gave verbally to the members present a historical resume of the customs "blockade" of Hong Kong, leading up to the establishment of an office of the

Chinese Maritime Customs in this Colony. I

understand that this resumé followed closely the

lines of my own resume, which forms enclosure No.5.

in this despatch. Ir. Maze then referred to recent

smuggling activities and to his own proposal for reopening negotiations on the lines of the "Harris

agreement". He referred to the history of earlier

efforts to negotiate the "Harris agreement", and he

gave his idea of the benefits which Hong Kong trade

would derive from this agreement. The

representatives of the Hong Kong Government took

no part in the discussion, and very little was said

by the commercial members of the Chamber of Commerce;

but the Colonial Secretary carried away the impression that, while a few of the Hong Kong business men present regarded the proposals with favour, there was no indication as to the views of the majority.

9. On the morning of the 31st July Ir. Maze left Hong Kong for Shanghai, taking with him the redraft of the proposed agreement. He intends to place it before Mr. T.V. Soong, and he will let me

know as soon as possible whether the draft in its new form is acceptable to the Chinese Government.

10. I shall address you further on this subject as soon as I have been able to consult my Executive Council and local mercantile opinion; but my present

opinion