...
Mr. Carter
Reference..
HKK 25/1
wil (2
Hong Kong (Hout. Office in London.
Immediately before Sir David Trench returned to Hong Kong in the middle of December, he enquired what progress had been made in giving effect to the con- clusions reached at our discussions with him on this subject at the end of October. The latter are recorded at (1) on this file.
2.
I am afraid that this file has been lost since the end of November. I minuted it at that time to Consular Department in connection with enquiries that I was making into the position of the UK Trade Commissioner in Hong Kong. The file has been there ever since and has only just come to light.
3. You asked me to put up a draft letter for you to send to the Governor letting him know the position and I accordingly attach a draft. I do not think that we can spend any further time on researches into the precise privileges enjoyed by the UK Trade Commissioner in Hong Kong. There appears to be considerable ignorance on the matter in this Office but I am fairly certain that he has no privileges other than that of exemption from income tax, of which we are already aware. However, in the attached draft I have touched on the point, since the Governor may have information which we do not possess,
of privileges accorded to the UK Trade Commissioner by the Hong Kong Government.
4. To tell the truth, I fear that much heavier weather has been made out of this whole exercise than has been really necessary. Provided that Hong Kong see no objections to the title proposed for the Head of the reorganised Office, I can see no reason why the Governor should not go ahead with his proposals.
24 January 1969
(A. W. Gaminara) Hong Kong Department
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