CO129-558-11 Mission of Sir F. Leith-Ross to China- proposals for a Hong Kong - China customs... 29-9-1936 - 30-12-1936 — Page 90

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Of these (1) is for the time being,

and for some years to come, the more important,

but more susceptible of amelioration with

an improvement in world conditions; (2) on

the other hand will continue and grow in

importance, as was recognised by the British

Economic Commission to the Far East in their

Report in 1931. For this reason the

Commission discussed at length the possi-

bility of securing "national" treatment as

regards the Chinese customs, dues etc., for

goods manufactured in Hong Kong. They

received proposals ranging from the complete

inclusion of the Colony within the Chinese

Tariff, to a qualified scheme involving

the entry, duty free, into China of goods

produced in the New Territories. It was

argued that this would at the same time

increase the Chinese revenues by checking

smuggling and give great assistance to the

industrialisation of the whole area between

Kowloon and Canton. Rumours of such.

proposals

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