CO129-521-13 Chinese Customs- proposed agreement with Hong Kong 27-8-1930 - 16-10-1930 — Page 377

DIEJ

2.

DROP

Government House, 3 ong ong.

379

perfectly prepared to let Hong Kong change its status

or anything else, so long as they attain their object.

At the same time, I think that even in this they are

short-sighted: they may not care at the moment whether

Hong Kong is a British colony or a China treaty port,

but, once it was reduced to a China treaty port, heaven

only knows what its future would be eventually.

Maze has produced a "yellow book", giving the

history of the Customs Agreement negotiations, including

even the confidential draft, and asked that it should be

circulated to Executive and Legislative Councils. I

said that, as it contained confidential documents, the

publication of which had not been approved, I could not

allow it to be circulated to members of Legislative

Council. I have, however, circulated it to Executive

Council. It is an interesting book and is, on the whole,

a fair statement of facts; but I should say that its

object is somewhat one-sided.

I suggested that Maze should allow his represen-

tative here, Osborne, to discuss with Lloyd, Superin-

tendent of Imports and Exports, entirely without