CO129-578-5 Development of Whampoa Port 13-12-1938 - 11-5-1939 — Page 45

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Enclosure 3

4

further four to six weeks (after transferring his office to Hongkong) at the earnest request of the Chinese authorities). He had therefore given the matter over two months intensive study at the time of his lecture, as will be apparent from that lecture and was further clear from masses of plans, sketches and technical details which he was good enough to show me. He also informed me that he was

assisted by a very good Chinese staff, including five engineers trained either in the United States or Germany, two architects trained in the United States and two

statisticians and economists.

8.

Mr. Goodrich's address is full of technical

details and must be allowed to speak for itself, but the following questions which I asked him at the time of reading his address and his replies which were to the best of my recollection based on notes I made at the time, will assist the understanding of the project as it was then conceived by the Chinese authorities after modification on Mr. Goodrich's advice. A memo,. based on these notes is enclosed. (Enclosure 3)

9.

To revert to the history of Whampoa Port Develop- ment, subsequent to Mr. Scott's despatch under reference, Dr. Lo Wen-kan gave place to Mr. Tseng Yang-fu, the former Mayor of Canton, who was an enthusiastic believer in the project, and pushed the scheme with the greatest energy after he assumed office in the autumn of 1936. Under his auspices complete plans for a new City at Whampoa had been drawn up prior to Mr. Goodrich's arrival, but these plans and all previous schemes were radically changed on Mr. Goodrich's advice, and the enclosure in this despatch is all that is really pertinent. Mr. Scott quoted opinions and gave cogent reasons why Whampoa was unlikely to succeed as a Port. A great majority of foreign technical experts have agreed with these opinions. On the other hand Mr. Goodrich has told me that while on arrival he thought the scheme was