CO129-521-13 Chinese Customs- proposed agreement with Hong Kong 27-8-1930 - 16-10-1930 — Page 92

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start formed a clause in the agreement.

The real reason was obviously that on

eleventh-hour thoughts they had decided

they were not getting enough out of the

Chinese in the way of concessions in

return for allowing the Customs to fune-

tion in the Colony and for the expense

and trouble the Hongkong administration

would be put to in the matter of preven-

tive measures. The Legation put up a

strong protest against the "parochial"

manner in which Hongkong had throughout

dealt with the question, but there was

nothing to be done but to drop it once

more.

2. In 1927, when the Canton government

were threatening to seize the Customs

and declare tariff autonomy, Sir C. Clementi

began to consider measures to meet this

threat, amongst others the revival in

some form of the disearded Customs agree-

ment. Nothing definite was done till,

in the summer of 1929, as a result of the

increased smuggling between Hongkong and

the mainland, consequent upon the intro-

duction of the revised tariff of February

1929, Mr.Maze was instructed by the

Chinese Government to approach Hongkong

with a view to negotiating an agreement

for allowing the Customs to function in

the colony. He suggested that the

Harris agreement might form the basis

or