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4.
On my return from Manila, I had placed before
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me a telegram dated 23rd October, 1929, from Dr. C.T. Wang, the Foreign Minister at Nanking, to Sir Miles Lampson, which reads as follows :- "Regarding the proposed customs agreement with Hong Kong, my Government feels it absolutely necessary to make an important amendment, which it is hoped will satisfy the Hong Kong Government. If the amendment is not accepted, the Customs must in that case introduce strong preventive measures, which in turn may cause fresh misunderstanding. A representation accordingly will be made to you by the Foreign Office". Upon this minitary and monitory telegram, Sir Miles commented very correctly to Mr. Aveling that such was not the way to address a friendly Government, or to handle matters of this kind; that he had a shrewd suspicion that it was Nanking who were anxious to see the agreement through, that they feared Hong Kong might not be willing to accept a modification of the original draft, as now proposed, and that they were, therefore, seeking rather clumsily to intimidate Hong Kong. Sir Miles instructed Mr. Aveling to inform Dr. Wang verbally that he had received his telegram and was not impressed by its tone, neither would His Majesty's Government nor the Government of Hong Kong be impressed thereby. "You should continue", he added, "that the whole question is now under consideration by His Majesty's Government, and that it will be judged on its merits and not on the basis of Mr. Wang's implied threats".
5. A little later 1 received from Sir Miles a copy
of
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