693.002/471: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 28—7:58 p.m.]
166. Reference my 132, January 24, 8 p.m.,40 140, January 26, 1 p.m. and 155 [152], January 27, 7 [3] p.m., regarding customs. British Chargé d’Affaires has received instructions that his Foreign Office is not prepared to advise Commissioner of Customs at Tientsin as to attitude he should adopt to the new tariff and Commissioner must decide for himself whether or not the circumstances amount to force majeure; that he should urge the Minister of Finance to accept proposals of Inspector General of Customs regarding 1931 tariff; and that he should protest in strong terms to Japanese authorities in North China against proposed alteration of the tariff basing his protest on [Page 637] treaty right to a uniform national tariff at all ports and consequent illegality of this action by a local authority whether recognized or not. He adds that a protest is being made at Tokyo.
Repeated Shanghai, Tokyo, Hankow and Peiping.
- Not printed.↩