COPY.
C
STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
18
office of C.M.Customs for Kowloon & Dist.
HONGKONG, 6th January, 1938.
Dear Sir Frederick,
Government.
In an interview with the Governor of Hongkong this morning
he enquired what our preventive vessels were doing, to which I
replied that they were laid up for the time-being and had ceased
to function. He then remarked that it seemed to him a pity that
such action had been taken and enquired who was responsible for
issuing such orders. I told him that it was possible that one
of the main reasons was to avoid the possibility of further
incidents such as had occurred in the case of the "Chahsing",
which we considered might have proved embarrassing to the Colonia:
To this he replied that it might be more embarrass-
ing for his Government that we had ceased to carry on our normal
activities as such action on our part might give the impression
that the Hongkong Government had used its influence in this
direction in deference to the wishes of the Japanese.
some might hold the opinion that the use of Hongkong's waters by
our vessels a course of action of a provocative nature in view
of the present hostilities in neighbouring waters, this was not
his opinion and he considered that it would be an unfriendly act
to deprive our vessels at this juncture of a privilege which
they had always enjoyed. He thought that the voluntary abandon-
ment of a right to use Hongkong waters might possibly prove a
source of embarrassment to us at some later period.
It was
evident that the Governor of Hongkong would be glad to see our
vessels moving about in Hongkong waters as in former times.
Although
In regard to the "Chahsing" incident he said that there
/ had
Sir Frederick Maze, K.B.E.,
etc.,
etc.,
SHANGHAI.
etc.,