(HKK 10/8)
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Hong Kong Department,
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27 November, 1969
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100
Requisitioning of Ships Order 1969
I am sorry that I have been unable to send you an earlier reply to your letter ST 17/18/02 of 1 October. This is because we have been engaged in the preparation of the necessary papers for submission to the Privy Council. The draft Order will, in fact, be taken by the Privy Council at its meeting on 28 November.
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Provided that you feel satisfied that you can do so without (as you put it) raising eyebrows, I see no objec- tion to your taking action in accordance with paragraph 5 of your letter.
As regards the last paragraph of your letter, I enclose an up-to-date list of independent members of the Commonwealth whose shipping would be exempt from requi- sitioning under the terms of the definition of "British ship" in Clause 5 of the draft Order. In addition to the countries mentioned in that list, ships of the Republic of Ireland are also British ships for the purposes of the Order; on the other hand ships registered in Southern Rhodesia would be exempt under the Order, but this seems to be of little consequence since it is most unlikely that we would find any such ships in Hong Kong waters or that we would wish to requisition them.
I will let you know as soon as the Order has been made.
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NEXI
RCF
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J. Clayton, Esq.,
Board of Trade,
(A. W. Gaminara)
Sea Transport Branch
34-36 Parliament Street,
London, S.W.1.
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K.271.
bu 10.12,69 ви
ANG
27.11.69
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