CO129-518-1 Chinese Telegraph Office in Hong Kong 28-6-1929 - 3-1-1930 — Page 15

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Company was recognised by the Government, who at the

same time desired to ensure for themselves an efficient

and disinterested service for the future, by the grant in

1881 of a concession for twenty years to the former

company, the principal object of which was to prevent any

divergence of interests from arising between the Chine se

Government and the company.

The extension of the services necessitating a duplica-

tion of the Shanghai-Hong kong cable, the companies jointly

were requested to execute the scheme with a proviso that

•

the Eastern Extension Company should lay the cable in

pursuance of a promise made to them in 1870 by the Chinese

Government. The two companies thereby became partners in

the concession originally granted to the Danish Company

and have since further amalgamated their interests.

About this period the attitude of the Chinese towards

the telegraph changed considerably and a Joint Stock

Company under the auspices of the chinese Government was

formed for the construction of land lines in the interior,

with the special object of connecting overland the Chinese

seaports with Shanghai and Hong Kong respectively.

Secure, as they believed, under their concession, the

companies assisted the new Telegraph Administration to the

best of their ability and under an agreement signed at

Shanghai on March 31, 1883 (further articles being adde d

on may 7, 1883) undertook to grant facilities for the

administration over the Companies' line in Hong Kong and

for the establishment of a Chinese Telegraph office in

Hong Kong in return for similar facilities in connection

wit. the Administrations' Lines from shanghai. (Flagged A

in volume annexed).

The...