18$
(190
222
Copy of letter received from Mr. W.J.Railton, referred to in accompanying letter
ENQUIRY No. 2964: Hongkong : 650 arts. Rivate.
"We bag to refer to our enquiry as above of the 29th July and to your relative quotation for same.
In connection with this matter we cabled a price to our friends in Hongkong but regret that business did not result. With further reference to this matter, we have today received a letter from our Hongkong friends in explanation of their not being able to confirm. They state that their local priority authority is not in favour of granting any further priority certificates for any goods from England if the same goods are obtainable from America or elsewhere.
This will no doubt be of interest to you especially in consideration of the fact that the rivets in question would have been required for use in connection with ship-building and that on previous occasions we have been able to obtain Class "A" Certificates.
As a matter of pinciple, we are taken up this question with the Board of Trade, for it appears to us that the action of the authorities in Hongkong is analogous to them andeavouring to foster business with America and other foreign countries at the expense of British Trade".