TELEGRAM.
The Secretary of State for the Colonies to
the Governor of Hong Kon,.
(Sent 1.30 p.m. 12th December, 1908).
PRIVATE AND PERSONAL.
Your two despatches of 27th October.
234
I an impressed by your arguments and should be
glad to see my way to an arrangement which would to
great extent meet your views. But the situation
Your des-
presnts great Parliamentary difficulties.
patches must eventually be published and on your own shewing reduction to 2200 chests would lewe status
quo practically unchanged. It would greatly assist if you could induce farmer to a rea without compen-
sation to further reduction to average of recent years
and to closing of even small number of divana as licen
ces expire at end of this year, Could you not re ind
him that he would have no legal cláim as regards
""
latter and that if His Majesty's Government are drivon to drastic measures he would lose far more than by
I would leave assenting to reasonable compromise? entirely to you selection of divans to be closed. Compensation to keepers of these should be trivial and if Colony would undertake this as evidence of its de- sire to co-operate with His Majesty's Goverment I
would propose
to my colleagues that we should make good for any 3 years substantial proportion of any loss to Colony in consequence of policy that may be adopted in 1910, Please consider this and let me hav
reply on Tuesday at latest.
CREWS