No- CONFIDENTIAL.
AIR MAIL
53846
Sir,
عط
18.
183
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HONG KONG,
5th February, 1938.
Enclosure No.1.
18
FU
ao.
admy.
bopy & 4 cnell. except chart to
q.m.
BIT
32
I have the honour to forward for your consideration
an application from a Mr. W. D. Pawley, a citizen of the
United States of America, asking for this Government's
authorization to proceed with the erection of a factory for
the manufacture of commercial and military aeroplanes.
2. As will be observed, the proposal stated in the
letter is to build the factory "adjacent to the Kai Tak
Airport": in view of this a reply was sent to the applicant
informing him that, as that aerodrome is principally used by
the Royal Air Force, it was necessary that the Air Ministry
should be consulted before any decision can be made. Mr.
Pawley's letter was written on 22nd October, 1937, but it
was not received in the Secretariat till 13th December, 1937.
It now appears that during that interval Mr. Pawley learned
that the site which he had in mind was not available and he
accordingly applied for another vacant piece of land nearly
a mile from the aerodrome: but as the application raises
other issues than those directly concerning the Air Ministry
I have thought it advisable to defer any further reply until
you have been able to consider and advise me upon the whole
question.
Moreover, it would presumably still be necessary for the factory to make occasional use of the aerodrome e.g.
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
W.G.A. ORMSBY-GORE, P.C., M.P.,
&c.,
&C.,
&C.