CO129-521-13 Chinese Customs- proposed agreement with Hong Kong 27-8-1930 - 16-10-1930 — Page 229

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19.

Hongkong No. 2. May 27, 1911 (Canton-Kowloon Rly. 43, 1911).

It was admitted that the con- 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 claus es

of the dailway 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 were 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-shallying, 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 Harris agreement as it then stood (much the same, as far as I can

/make