CO129-517-7 Draft Commercial Treaty with China- Governor's action 14-3-1929 - 25-7-1929 — Page 41

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Legislative Council in Hongkong, the Committee of the

General Chamber of Commerce and the Committee of the

China Association on a document of so highly confidential

a character. Sir C. Clementi took this action, moreover,

without the preliminary precaution of telegraphing to

Sir l. Lampson in order to ascertain whether there was any

objection to his doing so. Had he taken this necessary

precaution it would have been explained to him that the

action which he contemplated would interfere with

Sir M. Lampson's liberty of action, and hamper him in

the carrying out of his instructions.

6.

As it is, Sir M. Lampson has been placed in the

embarrassing position of having to protest against the

action of a fellow-official, with whom he is personally

on the most friendly terms and has had to address to

Sir Austen Chamberlain his telegrams of May 3rd and

Enc (a) (b; May 14th in which he complains that his liberty of action

has been compromised by Sir C. Clementi taking it upon

himself to communicate the draft treaty to the Hongkong

merchants without prior consultation and before Sir E.

Lampson had taken the Shanghai merchants into his confidence

on the subject. This also has deprived Sir M. Lampson

of the advantage of an element of surprise in dealing with

the Chinese authorities. Nor is this the first time that

Sir C. Clementi has gone further than is safe in communicating

to others confidential documents forwarded to him for his

personal guidance. Mr. Amery will remember the circum-

stances which led up to the despatch of the telegram

enclosed