CO129-518-3 Proposals to hold periodical conferences between principal British authorities in China- and the government in... 13-8-1929 - 31-12-1929 — Page 16

Hàng rong.

Government House.

2.

proposed that there should be an annual conference

at Hong Kong between the Secretaries for Chinese

Affairs of Hong Kong, the Straits and Malaya, and

the Chinese Secretary of the British Legation in

Feking, with whom is also to be associated the

British Consul General at Canton. The suggestion

that annual conferences of these Chinese Secretaries

should be held was first made to me by Sir Sidney

Barton, who was for many years himself Chinese

Secretary to our Legation in Peking, who was

subsequently British Consul General at Shanghai,

and who has now been appointed British Minister in

Abyssinia. Sir Sidney Barton spoke to me very

strongly on this subject when he passed through

Hong Kong in the early part of this year on his way

to and from Shanghai before proceeding to take up

his new work in Abyssinia. He spoke from long

experience in Feking and with full knowledge of the

difficulties which be set the British Minister at

Feking, and he begged me, as his last request before

leaving China, to do everything in my power to

arrange that the annual conference should be held

in Hong Kong between the Chinese Secretaries to whom

I have referred. I at once consulted by letter both

Sir Hugh Clifford and Sir Miles Lampson. Sir Hugh

fully agreed, and Sir Miles also agreed in principle,

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