CO129-585-5 Sino-Japanese conflict- shipping on Pearl River 3-1-1940 - 25-8-1940 — Page 106

COPY

COPY OF INSPECTOR GENERAL'S LETTER TO CANTON COMMISIONER.

DATED 20th FEBRUARY, 1940.

Dear Ar. Little,

I have duly received your letter Ius No.27

of 25th January, concerning pilotage matters at your port.

It is, of course, desirable that when the Pearl River is

re-opened to general trade the Canton pilotage service should

return to Customs control, but it should be understood that

we cannot subscribe to conditions which restrict our full

control or provide indirectly for dual control; nor have we

any authority to enforce compulsory pilotage, increased fees,

or depart from the General Pilotage Regulations for the Port

of Canton which were drawn up in consultation with, and

recognised as binding by, the representatives of the several

Treaty Powers.

For your information I my add that in 1933,

when it was desired to introduce revised pilotage regulations,

the American Consul-General addressed me on behalf of the

Consular body to the effect that the existing General Pilotage

regulations were agreed to bilatorally and are implemental of

rights conferred by treaty and that the Consular Body cannot

approve of the application to ships of their nationalities of

other Pilotage Regulations than those which in the past have

been made in mutual agreement by the Consuls of all nationa

and the Chinese Authorities.

Yours truly,

(Signed.) F... MAZE.

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