་་ ་
388
:750.
$300.
(44956 /15).
practice of Somerset House,
It was fully recognised that this expedient would
cost more than the Hong Kong Government could be ex-
pected to pay and Sir E. Grey was prepared to approach
the Treasury in order to obtain covering sanction to
the extra Expenditure which would be involved.
The cost of sending a responsible official to
Shanghai for a year for this special pur, ose would
amount to not less than seven hundred and fifty pounds
but a part of this expenditure will be compensated by
the fees received, which are payable to the Colonial
Treasury at Hong Kong.
In the circumstances Sir E. Grey regrets to say
that he does not consider the proposed payment of
three hundred pounds a year by the Government of Hong
Kong as an adequate contribution towards the cost of
establishing the new Registry, and he feels that 11
would not be reasonable to expect the Treasury to agree
to the contribution from Imperial funds of considerably
inore