CO129-529-5 China- extraterritoriality 23-11-1931 - 31-12-1931 — Page 127

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

169

2

3

SYNOPSIS OF SUMMARY

(A) Relation of the International Settlement

Administration

p. 4

I.

Origin and Scope of the Report.

II.

Main Features of Existing Municipal Régime.

to the rest of Shanghai

(B) Basis of

International

Settlement's

(C) Position of Chinese in the Settlement

pp. 5-6

pp. 6-7

III.

The Settlement and the Chinese Government.

(A) The Land in the Settlement

pp. 8.9

(B) Jurisdiction over Chinese Residents

p. 9

(C) Jurisdiction over Foreign Residents

(D) Chinese Government's Fiscal Powers

pp. 9.10

IV. Summary of Questions at Issue

pp. 11-13

V.

p. 10

Mr. Justice Feetham's Recommendations pp. 13-17

VI. Appendices.

The Land Regulations

The Mixed Court

***

:

:

pp. 18-20

pp. 21-23

́ORIGIN AND SCOPE OF THE REPORT,

Shanghai does nearly half China's import and export trade and is the centre of her banking and financial system. One estimate quoted by Judge Feetham (Vol. I, Part III, p. 307) puts the value of the trade financed from Shanghai at £300,000,000. Almost all the banks- foreign and Chinese-and most of the trade are conducted in the part of Shanghai known as the International Settlement.

This area is administered in accordance with treaty and other arrangements which require alteration. On November 29th, 1929, the Municipal Council of the Settle- ment telegraphed to General the Hon. J. B. M. Hertzog, Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, stating that," being faced by the acute problem of reform in the Settlement," it urgently needed "the immediate aid of an adviser free from previous commitments or bias, who combined judicial with municipal and political exper- ience," and requesting that the services of Mr. Justice Feetham, C.M.G., might be placed at its disposal for the period of one year. (Vol. I, Part I, p. 1.)

In fuller explanation of this invitation the Council made an announcement on December 6, 1929, reading as follows: "Ever since the publicly announced policy of the Foreign Powers, and particularly America and Great Britain, with regard to the gradual relinquishment of extraterritorial privileges in China, the Council has fully appreciated the important relation of this policy to the complicated problem of the future status of the Inter- national Settlement during the transition period which must necessarily ensue before such a policy can become fully effective, as well as the necessity of devising some constructive plan or scheme which, while giving full con- sideration to the aspirations of the Chinese people, will at the same time afford reasonably adequate protection during this transition period to the great foreign, com- mercial and business interests which have been developed in Shanghai." (Vol. I, Part I, p. 1.)

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