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16.
should be found that other stations are
required, they may be instituted".
Upon
these recommendations Major-General W. Black,
then Officer Administering the Government,
wrote in despatch No. 221 of the 29th July,
1898, to Mr. Joseph Chamberlain strongly
urging that "the Chinese Customs be not formally
accorded the right to maintain its office
in Hong Kong and that the Commissioner of
Customs be not recognized as a Chinese
official, but that he remain as at present
without official status of any kind": and
further that the existing sub-stations -
Changchow, Capsuimoon, Lai-chee-kok and
Fotochow should be removed to points outside
the leased territory, as their retention would
be a fruitful source of friction and would
always be misconstrued by the Chinese mind.
There were, as Major-General Black pointed
out, many points both on the coast and on the
adjacent islands where the Chinese Customs
could establish new stations.
14. I can find no reply from the Colonial Office
nop any communication from the British Legation
on this subject: but, as a matter of history,
the view of Major-General Black prevailed.
The sub-stations of the Chinese Karitime
Customs have been removed to Chinese
territory at Sham-chun, Sha-tau-kok and along
the
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