CO129-531-15 Chinese customs- proposed agreement with Hong Kong 9-7-1931 - 17-1-1932 — Page 123

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expense. A railway constructed from this port, when

completed, to Fatshan on the Canton-Sanshui line would

measure only fifty miles, which is half the distance of

the Canton-Kowloon railway; further it could pass through

Canton and connect with the Canton-Hankow railway, or

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follow the West River into Kwangsi, Yunnan, and Kueichow.

Therefore the prosperity of Chungshan would also mean the

prosperity of South China, Hongkong alone could not

fail to fall lower and lower on account of this. Therefore

if this unfortunate proposal is passed, it will be no

different from harming oneself to advantage others.

which reason I respectfully submit a motion that the

construction of a Customs station in Kowloon for the

collection of duty should be stopped, that, further, plans

should be made to enlarge the scope of anti-smuggling

measures, and that additional Customs stations and barriers

should be constructed in the territory's free port in

order to remedy the malpractices of smugling, and duty-

evasion, and to bring prosperity to Canton and South China".

The Motion was passed as follows:-

1)

2)

The negotiations of the Ministry of Finance

with the Hongkong Government regarding the

establishment of a customs station at Kowloon for

the collection of duty are very detrimental to the

national economy and must be abandoned.

The construction of the free port of Chungshan,

being an important plan for the development of the

economic wealth of the people of South China, should

be completed as quickly as possible by the National

Government.