Authorizing the British-:Chinese Labour Corps

[jerryasher]

Muddled and murky seem to be China's assent to the British Chines Labor Corps, James and O'Neil works, I read that sometime from December 17th, 1916 to December 30th a Brit approached either the Chinese and/or Japanese for assistance. The program they had begun on October 31st at Weihaiwei without prior discussion with the Chinese was not working. Two Dozen men per day were working and were barely averaging one recruit per day. An informal shift to contract signing at British consulate at Jinan hadn't helped much. Seems on December 30 some Chinese official (person-office)
gave British authority--signed? oral statement? A little over a week later (January 1917) Japanese would have to have agreed, a facility within the former (now Japanese) controlled German leased area, is turned over to British. Unlike Weihaiwei, this facility is served by the Jinan to Qingdao railway which is under Japanese guardianship. Can anyone clarify? Is there a signed Document between Great Britain, diplomatic, War Office, on site officers? Thank You in advance. As always my questions are to long winded. Is there a better board for this question?