693.003/589
The Minister in China (Crane) to the Secretary of
State
Peking, September 20,
1920.
[Received October 27.]
No. 225
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith
a copy of a Note dated June 12, 1920 from the Chinese Foreign Office
respecting the limitation of duration of inward transit passes,
together with a copy of my reply thereto of September 18th,
1920.
There is likewise enclosed copy of Dean Circular No. 162 on the
subject.86
I have [etc.]
(For the Minister)
A. B.
Ruddock
[Enclosure
1—Translation]
The Chinese Ministry of
Foreign Affairs to the American Minister
(Crane)
Sir: I have the honor to state that I
am in receipt of a communication from the Revenue Council of the
Ministry of Finance as follows:
“The inward transit passes issued by the Maritime Customs
Offices were originally instituted to cover the
transportation of foreign goods into the interior for
sale. At the present time transportation in the interior
is extremely convenient, and it therefore becomes
necessary to limit the transit passes to a validity of
one year’s duration after which they should be returned
for cancellation. Expired passes therefore will be
invalid. The various customs offices have already been
instructed to conform to this new regulation and it is
requested that it be communicated to the members of the
Diplomatic Body for transmission to their respective
nationals for observance by them”.
I have the honor to request that you will take due note of this
ruling and it is hoped that you will instruct the various
consuls under your control to promulgate it to American
merchants for uniform observance.
(Seal of the Foreign
Office)
[Enclosure 2]
The American Minister (Crane) to the Chinese Minister of Foreign
Affairs (W. W.
Yen)
Peking, September 18,
1920.
Excellency: I have the honor to refer
to the Note from Your Excellency’s Ministry of June 12, 1920,
respecting the validity of inward transit passes in which it is
stated that whereas at the present time transportation in the
interior is extremely convenient, it has become necessary to
limit the validity of such passes to one year from date of
issue.
In reply I am constrained to observe that in view of the recent
complete interruption of nearly all railways in China and of the
existing disturbed political conditions in various parts of the
country and the prevalence of brigandage along many of the main
trade routes which are the cause of delay and loss to shippers,
the present moment appears unsuitable for the introduction of a
limitation to the validity of such passes.
To my regret, I am, in consequence, unable to agree at the
present time to any limitation to the validity of these
documents and I trust
[Page 737]
that any instructions which may have been issued in that sense
by Your Excellency’s Government will be recalled. At the same
time, I am prepared to state that as soon as conditions shall
have become settled in China, the Legation will be glad to take
again under consideration any reasonable limitation of the
period of validity of inward transit passes which will not prove
an impediment to the import trade of American merchants.
I avail myself [etc.]
