The decision of the British Government to return to China the uunexpended portion of the China Indemnity was embodied in an Act of Parliament whereby it was enacted that all indemnity payments made by the Chinese Government from December 1, 1922, should be treated as a special fund to be called "The China Indemnity Fund" to be applied to-"educational or other purposes" mutually beneficial to both countries. Under this Act, a statutory Committee was appointed consisting 11 persons, three of whom were Chinese, In order to militate the work of the Committe in ascertaining the views held in China with regard to the disposal of the funds, it was decided that three English members of the Committee should visit China and pursue their investigations in cotheir three Chines This Anglo-Chinese delegation, which is now in China, will visit many of the chief centres of population and will deliberate on the relative merits of the various schemes that have been or may be placed before them, and consider t the principles to be followed in allocating the funds ai in providing for their administration. The six delegates, whose status and functions are precisely equal and who are all full members of the statutory Committee, will, in due course, submit the result of their deliberations to the whole Committee. This Committee, which is advisory in nature, may be dissolved when the permanent—executive organization is established for allocating and administering the funds. "The character and composition of the permanent organization constitute one of the most important questions to be considered by the delegation.
The fundamental object which the British Government have. in jew in returning the balance of the {indemnity is the strengthening of the bonds of friendship between Great tain and China, and the utilizamoney to the best possible advantage for China and her people. The duty of the Delegation now in China is to find out what are the most pressing needs to which the indemnity funds can jhe applied; and it is hoped that the. Committee's recommendations will, meet with the approval of the Chinese people. In order that their 2
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.