MINUTES
MINUTES NOT TO BE WRITTEN ON THIS SIDE.
In any further communication aible subjack, plossa quote
No.
and address,
bat to-
F 3207/127/10.
not to any person by name,
"The Under-Socretary of State," Foreign Ofice.
London, 8.W.L.
0.0
56137
REC!
REM 21 NOV 23
ac
430
FOREIGN OFFICE. S.V.1.
November 20th, 1923
Sir,
70 40666
c236
With reference to your letter No. 40666/1923
of the 2nd instant on the subject of the annual fee to be paid by the British American Tobacco Company Limited, under the Hongkong Companies Ordinances, I am directed by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to tranquit herewith a copy of the reply which has now been received from His Majesty's Minister at Peking dealing with the points raised by Sir R. Stubbs in his letter of March 15th, of which a copy was enclosed in your letter No. 20236/1925 of Kay 12th last.
2. The Secretary of State concurs in the suggestion put forward by His Majesty's Consul General and Registrar of Companies at Shanghai that in the matter of the annual fee some differentiation should be made between public and private companies, and that the problem of the duplication of the fee could best be met by levying the fee in every case in full and then allowing China companies holding shares in other China companies to apply for a refund of the fee on such shares.
3. As regards the amount of the contribution towards the upkeep of the Shanghai registry which the Governor of Hongkong has stated that he is prepared to reconsider, the Secretary of State is disposed to think
that a good case for an increase has been established, and
Under Secretary of Stat e,
Colonial Office.
he/
1