Office of the Historian

File No. 1571/10–12.

Chargé Fletcher to the Secretary of State.

[Extract.]
American Legation,
Peking, December 6, 1907.
No. 792.]

Sir: referring to Consul General Denby’s recent dispatch, transmitting copy of a memorandum on the Whang-poo conservancy works submitted to the consular body at Shanghai by the German consul and signed by the leading representatives of German interests at Shanghai, I have the honor to report that the German minister, through Mr. Kemnitz, the first secretary of his legation, recently placed in my hands a memorandum prepared by Mr. Schellhoss, scientific attache of the German consulate at Shanghai, copy inclosed,1 criticizing the scheme of river improvement now being carried out by the Chinese Government under the direction of Mr. de Rijke, a Dutch engineer. It was intimated that the matter would be brought before the consular body and a request would be made for a reply to these criticisms from the engineer in charge.

The conservancy of the Whang-poo River, as the department will recall, was intrusted to the Chinese Government by the agreement of September 27, 1905,2 copy of which was forwarded with Mr. Rockhill’s No. 122, of October 12, 1905,2 and I am of opinion that any interference, unless plainly justified by incontestable facts, would be unfortunate and inopportune.

By the provisions of Article XI of the agreement it is provided that—

If the works are not carried out with diligency, care, and economy, by a majority vote the consular bdoy may unite to point out the fact to the Shanghai customs tao-t’ai and the commissioner of customs, and call upon them to direct the engineer to take steps to remedy the matters complained of, and if the work is still not properly done, they may recommend the engineer’s dismissal and the selection and appointment of another engineer in the manner prescribed in Article I. In case no notice is taken by the Shanghai customs tao-t’ai and commissioner of customs of their representations, the consular body may report to the representatives of the powers interested.

and it is under this article that the criticisms are offered.

I have, etc.,

Henry P. Fletcher.
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. See Foreign Relations, 1905, p. 122.↩
  3. See Foreign Relations, 1905, p. 122.↩