Department of State,
Washington, February 15,
1902.
No. 278.]You will bring the complaint to the attention of the foreign office.
[Inclosure.]
American Asiatic
Association to Mr. Hay.
New
York, February 12,
1902.
Dear Sir: At the request of the executive
committee of this association I beg to transmit to you the following
complaint received from the American Association of China, under
date of Shanghai, January 18, in regard to the conditions affecting
the telegraph service to and from Niuchwang:
“In common with the general destruction of property throughout North
China during the summer of 1900, the lines of the Imperial Chinese
telegraph administration suffered to a considerable extent. With the
exception, however, of a break of about 50 miles between Shanhaikwan
and Niuchwang the damage was speedily repaired, but this section of
the service has not yet been restored. It is said that the
continuance of this important break has not been voluntarily
acquiesced in by the authorities of the telegraph administration.
They have repeatedly sent out parties to rehabilitate the line only
to have them intercepted and driven off by the armed forces of the
power now in temporary occupation of Manchuria.
“The Russian field service which, in the absence of the Chinese line,
provides the only telegraphic communication with Niuchwang, has
recently placed restrictions on the traffic that are highly
detrimental to our trade. Messages for Niuchwang are transmitted by
the commercial lines via Chefoo and Port Arthur, whence they are
necessarily transferred to the Russian field service. This service
has not only been inadequate and subject to much delay, but recently
it has attempted to require that all messages transmitted by it
shall be in plain language, excluding all such as are contained in
code or cipher. When attempts have been made to forward messages in
the latter form they have either failed to reach their destination
or been made subject to a delay, in some instances of as much as
five or six days. The last information from Niuchwang is that a
commercial message tendered in code has been positively refused.
There are no conditions existing which present any necessity for
such a regulation, and as a great proportion of American business
with Niuchwang is transacted by means of the telegraph, the
restriction is a very injurious one and acts as a direct preventive
of trade.”
I am requested to second the appeal of the American Association of
China that every effort be made to secure the early restoration of
the Chinese telegraph service and of normal conditions generally in
Manchuria.
* * * * * * *
I have, etc.,
