Any further communication should be addressed to-
THE SECRETARY,
And the following letter and number should be quoted :-
C.R.V/C/521.
Telegraphic Address: Munorgize, London. Telephone Number: Victoria, 8700.
MINISTRY OF MUNITIONS OF WAR,
VHITEHALL PLACE,
41007
IREC
LONDON, S.W.1.
26"
August 1918.
REC 26 AUG 18
gir,
184
I am directed by the Minister of Munitions to refer to your
amo latter 34390/1918 of the 31st July ang lost ng a copy of a despatch from
the Governor, of Hong-Kong concerning the supply of Chinese wolfram.
+
5
•
I am to state, for the information of the Secretary of State for
the Colonies, that lir. Churchill agrees that if the letter from this
Department of the 14th March referred to in paragraph 4 of the
-Governor's despatch were considered by itself, the statement that the
issue of licences for export from Hong Kong is left to the discretion
of the local authorities might be considered misleading. The letter
in question, however, formed part of a considerable correspondence
between this Department and ir. Hatfield and his firm in which,) and
also at the personel interviews with officials of this Department
which took place at about the same time the principles governing
the export of wolfram from Hong Zong, as set out in the semi-official
-letter C.R.V/C/484 of the 8th April from Mr. Salter to Ir. Dixon,
were fully explained to lir. Hatfield and his firm. The particular
latter was written in reply to a specific complaint from the firm
that licences for the export of wolfram to the United States were
limited to American firms, and that British subjects were prohibited from shi ping to America, and the letter was intended to make it clear that there was no intention of limiting the permits for the
export of wolfram to American firms, but that British suppliers should
first make their offers to this Department, which however, was not in a
position to grant individual licences, as the Hong Kong Authorities were the only persons in a position to decide whether any specific
application should or should not be granted.
+
It is regretted that the production of this letter by the firm,
without a reference to the communications of which it formed a part,