CO129-517-2 Correspondence on proposed Chinese and Hong Kong agreements over Customs 13-11-1929 - 28-12-1929 — Page 31

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Enclo. No. 3.

Enclo. No. 4.

I

November and lasted from 2.30 p.m. to 4 p.m. took the chair on both occasions and there were also

present, in addition to Mr. Moss, the Honourable Mr. Southorn, C.M.G., Colonial Secretary, the Honourable Sir Joseph Kemp, C.B.E., Attorney General,

the Honourable Dr. Kotewall, C.M.G., the Honourable

Mr. Beith, who is head of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson

and Company, and Mr. T.H.R. Shaw, who is head of Messrs. Butterfield and Swire in this Colony. will notice that of these gentlemen Sir Joseph Kemp, Dr. Kotewall and Mr. Beith formed the drafting

committee.

You

We considered the whole agreement clause by clause very carefully and made extensive amendments in it upon the recommendation partly of British and

partly of Chinese merchants. I now attach a reprint of the agreement as revised and, for convenience of reference, I also attach a copy of the previous print, dated the 29th of July, 1929, upon which the amendments now introduced are shown.

8.

Apart from the amendments to Article 5, to which I draw your special attention, I wish to point out to Your Lordship that Article 2, which dealt with salt, has been struck out, and that the question of salt is now dealt with as a part of Article 11. I consider that Article 2, as originally drafted, contained too much detail, and that it is sufficient for the purpose of this agreement to declare that the Hong Kong Government will endeavour to prevent the illicit entry of salt into China. This, after all, is the only point concerning the regulation of salt in Hong Kong with which the Chinese Government is concerned.

9.