File No. 551/87–88.
Ambassador O’Brien
to the Secretary of State.
American Embassy,
Tokyo, January 29,
1908.
No. 171.]
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith a
copy of a dispatch from the consul at Dalny, in which it is stated that
the Port Arthur branch of the Imperial Chinese Maritime Customs at
Dairen was finally opened on the 8th instant, and stating that the
rumors to the effect that Port Arthur was to be opened to foreign trade
on the same basis as Dairen has now been officially denied.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure.]
Consul Greene
to Ambassador O’Brien.
American Consulate,
Dalny, January 17,
1908.
Sir: I have the honor to report that the
Port Arthur branch of the Imperial Chinese Maritime Customs at
Dairen, the proposed establishment of which I reported on September
6, 1907, was finally opened on the 8th instant. It is understood
that the delay was due to difficulty in securing the consent of the
Japanese navy department, which has jurisdiction over the port.
Rumors have been current here to the effect that Port Arthur was
shortly to be thrown open to foreign trade on the same basis as
Dairen, but this has been officially denied.
It is not unlikely that some relaxation of the strict rules governing
the entry of the vessels owned by Japanese and by Chinese residing
in the leased territory, now admitted, may be considered. At present
even such vessels are required to apply at a station outside the
port for permission to enter the bay, and are “otherwise
inconvenienced.
I have, etc.,
