T
* CONFIDENTIAL.
Ca
6322,
Straits
273
REC
Co
62663
RE: 39 OCT 23
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HONGKONG. 14th September, 1923.
My Lord Duke,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
of Your Grace's confidential despatch of the 24th of January with regard to the passages to be provided by the Crown Agents for certain officers on first appointment.
2.
In the case of officers who were formerly entitled to lat class mail passages, and of subordinate officers for whom 2nd class passages were provided there is no difficulty, and the appropriate passages should, where possible, be booked by P. & 0.
3.
Officers who under the old arrangements would have travelled by Intermediate P. & 0, should not, however, I consider, be compelled to travel by 2nd class mail. Not only would this course give rise to a great deal of dis- satisfaction, but it might also to some extent be subversive of discipline to insist for example on a Public Works Engineer or a junior Police Officer travelling by the same boat and in the same class as a Foreman of Works or a Police Sergeant.
4.
I consider therefore that officers who would
formerly have travelled 1st class by Intermediate P. & 0. should now be provided with passages either by let class
P. & O. or other lines; and I shall be content to leave it
to
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE, K.G.,
80..
&0..
&C.