Nov. 20, The broad lines of the arrangement made between Sir Miles Lampson and Dr, C. T. Wang, on behalf of their respective Governments in regard to the return to China of the British share of the Chi Indemnity of 1901 have al been made public in semiofficial form. To-day the full official text of the relative notes exchanged between the two parties is published. It confirms the view that the settlement does credit to the two countries and that a most satisfactory solution has been reached of a problem which has been, in a sense, outstanding since 1922. In De ber of that year the Bri Government, promised that the balance of the British share of the fund, usually known as the Boxer Indemaity, should henceforth devoted to "purposes mutually beneficial to Great Britain and China." In June, 1925, this promise was implemented by an. Act of the British Parliament. approving of the proposal made and appointing an Advisory Committee to report on the subject. The Advisory Cor mittee was legally constituted in 1926 and it eventually sent to China the Willingdon delegation which, composed of three British and three Chinese members submitted a unanimous report, on returning to England after a four months? tour in China, The Advisory Committee adopted the Delegation's Report practically stood. It recommended the appointment of a Board of Trustees in China with six ese and five British mem-
7,000,000 into an annual grant fund, amounting to about and the division of the
for immediate expenditure and capital for the formation of an investment fund. For various reasons@not the least of the being the disturbed state of this country, further progress was not made with the settlement of this important matter, This year, however, it has been actively under the consideration of the British Minister Peking and the present Foreign Minister of the Chinese Government.
It will be seen from the cox respondence now published thi the Chinese Government, propose generally to deal with the Funds in consonance with the report of the Advisory Committee. The bulk of money available ho ver, will be applied to the creation of an endowment for educational purposes. Such endow-Ment is to be provided by in-yesting the accumulated funds now on deposit and all future instalments in rehabilitating and building railways. The whole of the accumulated fund is to. be transferred to a Purchasing Commission in London mixed personnel—for the purpose of buying material for railways and other productive enterprises in China, Half of the subsequently accruing inst talments of the fund will be alinilarly put at the disposal of the Purchasing Commission and the remainder will pass to the Board of Trustees in China. The Prustees will. receive full account of the expenditure by the Purchasing Commission" and also the amounts due as service of those Touns for applic: educational—purposes opportunity. Immediate effect to this is. to be given by the grant of £265,000 to the Hongkong University for the education of Chinese Students and of £200,000 to the Universities' China Committee in London for the promotion of cultural relations between China and the United Kingdom—a pro-ect which includes a proposal to invite eminent Chinese to give lectures in the United Kingdom, This outcome of the negotiations between Great Britain and China is one on which the Foreign offices of both countries can be warmly congratulated. It enables Great Britain to give effect to a promise which, unde standingly, has been regarded with considerable satisfaction by China. It has disposed the Chinese Government, in recognition of their country's need of restored facilities of communication, to take full advantage of the experience possessed by Great Britain as a pioneer of railway development and to go to that country for the material and equipment necessary for the rehabilitation of China's lines. 'The project of turning' the remission of the Indemnity into an instrument for the educational advancement of China is not forgotten and, here again, it is most_satisfacjory to note that the Chinese Government makes a gesture of no little friend-Tines in recognizing the value of the splendid work performed by the Hongkong University for Chinese education, The attention given to the strengthening" of the cultural bonds between China and England in the provision for the ap-Pearanee of eminent Chinese on British lecture platforms is no less gratifying. On the British side there will be appreciative recognition of the services thus signally rendered by Sir Miles Lampson to his country in obtaining, by an agreed settle ment on an equitable basis, honourable to both sides, a substantial contribution to the alleviation of the unemployment problem at a time of special trade depression. Some effort should, it is suggested, be made to ensure that the Purchasing Commi into account, as far as possibi the advantages to be yamed by assdeiating British firms China with this endeavour. It 5 to be hoped that this point wit! receive the attention it deserves, The agreement itself, however, is to be welcomed for'it certainly encourages, on the subject of Sino-British relations, the formulation of more" confident views than have of late years been able to find express Indeed it may be definitely regarded as the fruit of that friendlier feeling which, in spite of occasional" disappointing lapses, has been manifested at Nanking.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.