:
Enclosure!
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224
one, comprising among others several trained commercial men (one of them with 10 years experience in the Shipping Office of Messrs. Butterfield and Swire themselves) who are un- -fit for active service; Mr. E. V. Hamilton, Passed Cadet; and a highly qualified and certificated lady teacher.
(c).. The fact that Messrs. Butterfield and Swire
had made no effort whatever to obtain a
substitute from the numbers offering.
(d). The fact that owing to the difficulty in ob-
-taining passages at least a month must elapse
before Mr. Rawlinson can sail for India.
I attach a copy of the minutes of the meeting.
It is to be noted that the very pertinent question put by the Attorney-General as to the comparison in volume of work in the Shipping Offices before the war and now
was not answered by Mr. Ross Thomson. I regret that I did not press the point because immediately after the meeting the came into my hands the statement which forms enclosure
2 which I bad called for from the Harbour Office on the
evening of the 23rd. instant.
4.
I take this opportunity of informing you that in order to release 2 members of the Staff of the Hong-
-kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation for active service, I
have lent the Bank Messrs. R. A. C. North, Passed Cadet, and
Mr. W. Schofield, Passed Cadet, for the duration of the war.
I was prepared to allow both these officers to go to the
front, but they were unfortunately not passed as fit owing
to defective eyesight, as I understand. They took up their
duties in the Bank on the 9th. instant and the men they
released left for England on the 17th. instant. These
officers will be paid by this Govemment at the rate of Class
III