54
The Governor of Hong Kong has had to
Cocal
consider applications from two different sources
Λ
one, Anglo-American, and the other Chinese - for
permission to erect aircraft factories in the Colony
for export.
The intentions of the Anglo-American group
were explained in No. 18, viz., the manufacture of
commerical types of aircraft and also the manufacture
the suratler
of antiber types of military aircraft for export to
countries not in a position at present to construct
them for themselves.
Subsequent information shows
that this group contemplates manufacturing for export
to the British Government aircraft of the type which
the Air Ministry have had to purchase recently from
Canada and the United States owing to the absorption
home
of U.K. industry in the whore expansion programme.
The intentions of the local Chinese group
This group
of applicants are explained in No. 110.
does not contemplate the manufacture of any military
aircraft, and while it does not appear that they will
be merely engaged in assembling component parts of
aircraft not locally manufactured, we are assured that
"units and all component parts of the aeroplanes would
be imported from England".
To both groups it is no doubt a paramount consideration that there is available in Hong Kong a
supply of skilled and cheap labour as well as (in normal times) excellent shipping facilities to all
parts of the world and a pretty extensive market for
their products in China itself.
The