Dealt with
.
9359/15
Note:-
Extreet from
7
1.C.C. m. 14/3/33
15
24
PROPOSED AGREEMENT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT WIRELESS SERVICES IN MALAYA BY IMPERIAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS,LIMITED.
(I.C.C. 1453.)
4. PROPOSED TRANSFER OF THE GOVERNMENT WIRELESS SERVICES IN HONG KONG TO
IMPERIAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED.
(I.C.C. 1455 and 1474.)
These two items were discussed at the 83rd meeting of the
Committee held on the 10th March, 1933, when it was agreed, after
considerable discussion, to defer these items for further consideration
at the present meering.
SIR PHILIP CUNLIFFE-LISTER said he found himself in a somewhat
difficult position as, as Chairman of the Committee, he did not see how he
could, without an express Cabinet decision emphasising an overriding Imperial
interest, order the Governments of Hong Kong and Malaya to do something which
would be to their disadvantage. He felt that the line which would have
to be taken would be to inform the Governments concerned that they were
not to enter into commercial services which would compete with the existing services of Imperial and International Communications, Limited.
There
was very distinct feeling in the two colonies concerned that, since the
question of erecting high power stations had been abandoned, if the Colonies
put themselves unconditionally in the hands of the Company they would not
get the commercial service they desired. They might, he suggested, be informed that if there was any particular development which was considered desirable for their commercial interests and could not be provided by any other means the Government would be allowed to make such development, but under no circumstances would late cutting be sanctioned or competition with existing facilities allowed, unless it could be shown that the existing facilities could not meet the reasonable commercial requirements of the Colony.
CAPTAIN MURRAY suggested that the local governments had power to ask
the Communications Company to provide any reasonable service.
SIR PHILIP CUNLIFFE-LISTER asked who was to be the judge of a
reasonable service and pointed out that there was no means of enforcing
either the Governments concerned or the Company.
12.
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