CO129-521-13 Chinese Customs- proposed agreement with Hong Kong 27-8-1930 - 16-10-1930 — Page 246

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36.

(p.31 in 5 Y)

Shanghai Chamber's views on new draft agreement as a whole.

(p.1 & 3 in 5Y 1930)

Canton No. 192 of January 12th. 1929 (p.4 in 5Y)

List of vessels on Inland waters of two Kyang provinces.

that the limitation of inland water privileges

to Chinese-flag vessels, by eliminating a possible

source of friction in regard to vessels under the

British flag owned by persons of Chinese race,

would be an advantage rather than a disadvantage,

and that the agreement should be accepted on general

grounds of policy alone.

38. The Joint Committee of the Shanghai Chamber

of Commerce and China Association expressed the

view that there would be no reaction detrimental

to British interests should Chins refuse to accept

the Hongkong draft and should Hongkong refuse to

alter it, that the modification of clause 5 as

suggested by Mr. Maze would be detrimental to our

position as regards coastal and inland navigation,

and that while Article 10 was of minor importance,

the total omission of Article 5 might be consider-

ed as tantamount to an admission that the Chinese

Customs had the right to function in Hongkong on

their own terms.

The Joint Committee also

observed that the functioning of the Customs at

Hongkong would to all intents and purposes give

the colony a Treaty Port status, which should

automatically include inland water navigation

rights.

39. Mr. Moss forwarded a list showing the enor-

mous preponderance of Chinese vessels under Inland

Vater certificates on the waters of the two Kwang

provinces over foreign-flag (including British)

vessels. The British and other foreign ves-

sels were all engaged in some particular trade,

such as oil tenders or tobacco lighters; the

/great