1
Fa
No. 33 or 1917.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY.
J. & P.
925 L13.9:
$30
EMIGRATION.
To
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE EDWIN MONTAGU,
SIE,
His Majesty's Secretary of State for India.
C. O
16321
RECE
RE 4 APR 18
Dated Delhi, the 28th December 1917.
We have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 100 (Public), dated the 24th August 1917, on the subject of the registra- tion of Indian watchmen in Hong Kong.
2. We have no objection to raise to the general tenor of the proposed Ordinance. We note that the Ordinance applies to Indian watchmen only, and it may possibly be urged in the future that an undesirable racial distinction is thereby made. Any such criticism would be of little weight, as the advantages conferred on Indian watchmen by the Ordinance seem to outweigh the restric- tions imposed by it. But if the Hong Kong Government could see their way to alter the wording of the Ordinance so as to render it applicable to all watch- men other than Chinese, the possibility of criticism in this country on racial lines would be eliminated. We do not, however, wish to press this point if the Government of Hong Kong desire to promulgate the Ordinance in its present form.
We have the honour to be,
SIR,
Your most obedient, humble Servants,
C. C. MONRO.
W. S. MEYER.
C. H. A. HILL.
C. S. NAIR.
G. R. LOWNDES.
* 5 BARNES
J. H. DUBQULAY.