דז
CONFIDENTIAL
DIEU
ET MON
DROIT
Laufer befor
Government House, 3 ong ong.
RECEIVED
- 6 NOV 1934
3rd October, 1934.
My dar
den
(5)
0.
Many thanks for your letter of the 29th August
and for the copy of the report of an Inter-departmental
Committee on the Industrial Development of the Colonial
Empire. I duly passed it on to the Chairman of the
Economic Commission as requested. I showed it confidentially
to H.M. Trade Commissioner here (Pelham) and enclose a copy
of certain observations made by him thereon which may be of
interest to you and with which I am in general agreement.
I appreciate the fact that Hong Kong cannot give
much preference to the United Kingdom but we have one what
we can in a small way in regard to Empire preference; e.g.
we have given some preference to Empire motor cars, Canadian
beer, Australian wines and Empire tobaccos.
Owing in a large measure to high tariffs especially
in China and to reduced purchasing power in that country our
trade at present is in an exceedingly bad way and, though I
am always inclined to optimism, I am doubtful whether we have