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would be bound to react unfavourably upon the interests of
the British Company in China.
The solution he suggested, which might, under pressure,
be accepted by the Chinese Government was that the terminal
station should be removed to the frontier and that the line
from there to howloon should be worked by the Eastern
Extension Company but that nothing should be done to
interfere with the office in Hong Kong.
In the meantime negotiations had been opened for the
construction of a new line of telegraphs by the Chinese to
follow the route of the new Canton-Kowloon Railway and the
matter was again dropped pending consideration of the new
proposals.
Imperial Edict of January 2 1911, the whole of the
officially managed telegraph system was taken over by the
Chinese Government and placed under the control of the chinese
Board of Communications. it may be mentioned in this
connection that the Telegraph Companies further tied themselves
to the Chinese Government by an agreement under which they
provided a gold loan of £500,000 for the purpose of reorganising
and improving the telegraph services. An additional article
to the agreement, virtually granting to the companies a
monopoly of telegraph enterprises in China till 1930 was
witnessed by His Majesty's minister at reking on behalf of
His Majesty's Government.
The Imperial Edict was the signal for a renewed protest
from the Hong Kong Government and it was urged that immediate
steps should be taken on the lines previous proposed.
Breifly.
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