693.003/432: Telegram
The Minister in China (Reinsch) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10.20 p.m.]
My telegram November 10, 10 p.m. Shanghai customs revisions conference to meet in January. British will appoint as delegates commercial attaché and representative British Chamber of Commerce, Russian[s] and French, commercial attaché and commercial expert.
The first question for settlement by conference (will be?) what years to give basis of computation of values, whether before war or since war.
Incidentally Russian Minister makes consent conditional on leaving land frontier customs rate absolutely unchanged. Apparently he relies on French land frontier precedent. The Chinese Government is asking the French Government to consent to the raising of the southern frontier customs relatively with the maritime customs. Unless this is done the disproportionately low land frontier rate after a revision of the tariff would injuriously affect American commerce.