CO129-589-1 Sino-Japanese War- shipping on Pearl River 26-1-1941 - 17-6-1941 — Page 50

COPY

With the Compim

53838/3+/+1

The Under-Secretary of State

Colonial Office

F 1387/78/10)

of the

Under Secretary of

for Foreign Affair

-8 MAP 194133.

8, Billiter Square, 50

E.C.3.

Ref: 7.0. Letter F.1387/78/10 of March 8th

RECEIVED Tam/Shling. foky to adty.

Sir,

10MARtahton Trade

You

C. REG

25th February, 1941.

are aware, the original Blunt/Okazaki agreement provided for the agreement of a pilotage tariff and, after this matter had been shelved during his leave, the Japanese at the end of last July held up in Canton our river steamer "Fatshan", in order to force the issue. result it was agreed at the end of August that:-

(a)

(b)

(c)

As a

Arrears of pilotage on the Japanese scale should

be paid under protest.

Sailings should be resumed immediately in

accordance with the Blunt/Okazaki agreement and

There should be prompt negotiations to define a

reasonable pilotage tariff for the future.

The Hong Kong Government at the same time said that, unless the negotiations under (c) were brought to an early and fair conclusion, they would once again suspend the Blunt/Okazaki agreement and refuse entry to Hong Kong to Japanese ships.

As a matter of fact since then our ship has sailed very intermittently owing to the Japanese using the cholera in Hong Kong as an excuse for stopping her. Needless to say she has been run at a loss and principally to keep our and the British flag on view in Canton.

Finally on January 31st we asked Hong Kong about the pilotage position, to which they replied on February 3 that it was still unsettled, that they had arranged

The Under-Secretary of State,

Foreign Office,

one

S.W.1.

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