22.
109
To F.O. No. 191 April 13, 1921
(ibid).
Draft agreement,
tax the salt of the poor and asked what was the
good of "playing at treaty making in Peking when
"what we have to deal with is trade in Kwangtung".
The Legation then proceeded to put up a very incensed
report to the F.0. pointing out how they had been let
down at the last moment to the detriment of all
negotiations with the Chinese Government by an
unreasonable change of front over an agreement which
Hongkong had itself been negotiating for years, and that Hongkong's view of these matters was altogether
too parochial. As for taxation of salt, the reor-
ganisation of the salt Gabelle and taxation involving
the whole of China were part and parcel of H.M.Q.'s
policy. The agreement should be treated as an
not integral part of our policy in China, and local problem at the mercy of the whims of succes-
aive Governors.
18.
However, the C.0. merely queried the Legation's
reading of history in saying that it was Hongkong
that had wanted the agreement originally (see pre-
ceding section of this memo.) and backed the Governor. So the agreement was shelved, till Sir 0. Clementi
began to reflect upon it once more.
19. A copy of the Harris agreement, as negotiated
and ready for signature in 1918, forms an enclosure
to this memo. I cannot lay my hands on a copy of it
as actually drawn up by Mr. Harris with the Hongkong
Government in 1911, but I take it the draft was much
the same as this one.
/20.
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