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302
как
with a concurrent funding
Number
Chinese inhabitants
of ensuring that the Government of the Colony
shall be in the hands of a trained Administrator
in the Governor's absence, will, Mr Lyttelton
thinks, be obvious to the Army Council; and
within the last few years the arguments in
favour of such an arrangement have been
strengthened by the fact that the extension
of the boundaries of the Colony so as to include
a large extent of additional territory on the
mainland has further removed it from the
category of a fortress.
5. Your letter refers to the fact that
some years ago the Colonial Secretary and not
the General Officer Commanding the troops administered
the government of Hong Kong in the
absence of the governor:
whatever reasons
could then be adduced in favour of a civilian
administrator there are far stronger grounds
at the present time. The Army Council will
also note that the arguments advanced in the
letter under reply would support the appointment
of a military governor in Hong Kong as
in