PA
21
香港布政司署
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT.
HONG KONG.
Our Ref: CS/PER
Chief Secretary's Office
RJT McLaren Esq.,
Hong Kong & General Department, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, LONDON, S.W.1A 2AH, England.
Hkk. 113
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51
INDEX
No
26 FEB 1979
17
Sa pa
REGISTRY Action Tuke
'ebruar 24/6
Джи Ковий,
The Governor has asked me to write to you regarding contact I have had with Warden, the Commissioner for Canada in Hong Kong concerning the award of contract for rolling stock for the Kowloon Canton Railway.
I attach a copy of a letter I received from Bill Warden late in January. Subsequently I met with Warden at his request. At our meeting he attempted to repeat what he had written in his letter of 25th January 1979: I said quite firmly that I was not prepared to discuss such matters as the award of tenders with him: that this was normal practice and a practice I was sure was followed in Canada as elsewhere.
He was clearly disappointed but later in our meeting returned to the subject saying that obviously the Canadians would have to "wait in the bushes" for Hong Kong. On being asked what he meant by that he said that the balance of trade between Hong Kong and Canada was seriously out of balance and that the Canadians would clearly have to await the opportunity to take action to "correct matters" On this I asked whether he was speaking on instructions from his government for, if so, such comments and threats should more properly be made to HMG. A little embarrassedly, Warden said that this was simply a personal view and not that of his Government at present: but he thought that such a view might well be adopted by the Canadians in due course in the light of what had happened over the tender for the KCR rolling stock.
It is possible that the Canadians may raise this matter in London and accordingly I should be grateful if you would send the attached copy of this correspondence to D.O.T. for their information.
Encls:
cc:
D.O.T.
Ima
-ever
Fach Cate
(Jack Cater) Chief Secretary
C.S. 154