CO129-521-12 Chinese Customs- proposed agreement with Hong Kong 2-4-1930 - 16-6-1930 — Page 246

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whether either side ever contemplated that steamers would clear

from Hongkong for inland ports outside the two provinces in any

numbers, the concession is not actually of much value.

9.

As described in paragraphs 7 9 of Sir Cecil Clementi's

despatch, the whole draft agreement was considered very carefully,

clause by clause, and extensive amendments were made in it upon

the recommendations partly of British and partly of Chinese

merchants. They are clearly to be seen by a comparison of

Enclosures 3 and 4 to Sir Cecil Clementi's despatch. The

amendments proposed, other than in Article 5, are concerned

purely with privileges sought for Hongkong manufactures and

the transit trade through Hongkong.

In my opinion the comments

on the net results of these amendments made by Sir Cecil Clementi

in the last paragraph of his despatch are truly representative

of the feeling of himself and of the Hongkong officials and

merchants who were present at the Conference, arrived at after

very careful consideration and free discussion. The Hongkong

mercantile representatives at the Conference, British and Chinese,

definitely gave their assent to the proposition put to them twice

very clearly at the close of the discussions that they, on

behalf of the interests they represented, held that the Agreement

in the form in which it is now reprinted is acceptable to them,

and that they regard it as beneficial to the Colony.

9.

Before the final questions were put to the Conference,

I stressed the desirability of going as far as Could be consid-

ered reasonable and safe in the endeavour to secure a working

arrangement with the Chinese Maritime Customs which would obviate

chances of friction, and which would tend to reinforce a feeling

of solidarity rather than antagonism between Hongkong and Canton,

which feeling would react on the general relations of Britain

with China. I found that the members of the Conference, and

especially the Chinese members, fully realised that failure to

negotiate