(p.4 in 5Y)
Hongkong des. No. 37 of August 3, 1929 (p.6 in 5Ÿ)
Mr. Maze informa
Minister.
235
26.
though he feared trouble over the inland navi-
gation clauses, In his conversations with Mr.
Mase, prior to this conference in Hong kong, the
Governor stressed his insistence that the Com-
missioner at Hongkong should continue to be a
British subject, and that all ships from Hong kong
must be allowed to trade up and down the China
coast as they do now. Mr. Maze said he would have
to submit these points personally to the govern-
ment at Nanking. Subsequent to the conference of
July 19, Mr. Maze met the committee of the Hong-
kong General Chamber of Commerce on July 30 at a
meeting also attended by members of the Hong kong
Government. The Hong kong business interests do
not appear to have given much indication whether
The Governor they favoured the agreement or not.
placed on record to the C.0. his opinion that the
bargain proposed in the agreement was a good one, that the advantages to the colony were considerable, and that the functioning of the Customs at Hong- kong, if it successfully prevented smuggling, which would give the Colony a bad name, would be beneficial to the Colony. He therefore welcomed the proposed agreement apart from the additional facilities
which it would obtain for Hongkong trade.
Subsequent
to his visit to Hongkong, Mr. Mase initiated
similar negotiations with Macao.
25. In informing H.M. Minister of his negotia- tions at Hongkong, Mr. Maze alluded to the fact that the scheme was based on the proposals originally drawn up by Sir Robert Hart in 1898 (British Parliamentary Papers China No. 1, 1899).
He/
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