106
19.
Hongkong Ho. 2. May 27, 1911 (Canton-Kowloon Rly. 43, 1911),
It was admitted that the oon- cessions were reciprocal, but generally in favour of the
Chinese.
To Hongkong June 15, 1911 (ibid).
Hongkong des- patch Sept.13, 1911, para. 9 and 10 (ibid).
Governor sought the assistance of the
Legation, and was at some pains to point out
the various ways in which the Colonial Govern-
ment were being obliging to the Chinese,amongst
others in the matter of the Customs agreement,
which had been drafted and was being pressed
by the Commissioner, a servant of the Chinese
Government. Sir John Jordan said he thought
the W.W.P. had probably never heard of this
draft agreement, and this indeed proved to
be the case when he mentioned it to them in
June 1911. In the end the Customs clans es
of the sailway agreement, providing for
the establishment of Customs offices and the
collection of duties at the lowloon terminal,
were incorporated in the Railway Working
Agreement itself, and Hongkong's interest
in the Customs Agreement consequently evapora-
ted, and the matter was dropped, the Governor
observing that if the Viceroy of Canton wore
to press it later, Hongkong would want more
favourable terms.
17. In the following years the Hongkong
Government still appeared anxious to conclude
an agreement and in 1916 the Legation began
pressing the Chinese Government to sign one
at the instance of Hongkong. The Government
in Peking were shilly-ahallying, and inclined
to try and introduce amendments to weaken
the concessions granted to Hongkong in the
1911 draft, but finally the Legation persuaded
them to accept the arris agreement as it
then stood (much the same, as far as I can
/make
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