Enclosure No. 1.
Precis.
195/36.
Extract from Dr. Sun Yat-sen's "Methodical Plans for
Building up Our Country. p.192.
47
Canton as a seaport had been super seded by Hong Kong
which became a British possession as a result of the Opium
War.
Though Hong Kong has the advantages of a deep water
harbour coupled with modern improvements and progressive
British administration, Canton has remained to be a trade
centre in South China. It lost its position as a seaport
merely because of the ignorance of the Chinese people. Since
the Republic was founded, the people have become awakened
and there have been proposed many plans to make Canton a
seaport. This has made the Hong Kong Government to be on its
guard; it try its best to frustrate all such plans. If
Canton becomes a world port, Hong Kong will not be a port of call any more. However, if Canton is developed and China
prosperous, there will certainly be other things which will
benefit Hong Kong to a far greater extent than its present
position as the only seaport of poor undeveloped South China.
For instance, Victoria, B.C. was at one time the only seaport
of West Canada and North-West U. S. A. At the time the
interior areas of these places were not yet developed and it
received very little benefit. Later, Vancouver, Seattle and
Tacoma became its rivals. The distance between any of the se
and Victoria is about the same as that between Hong Kong and
Canton. Inland development s brought prosperity to all the se
ports including Victoria. So, there can be no doubt that
the development of Kwong Tung and the prosperity of China cannot do any harm to Hong Kong remaining as a free port. Further, the development of Canton and South China will benefit the trade of the British Empire one hundred times more than Hong Kong now does. Although the authorities of the said Colony have not the foresight, but I believe that
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