54296/17.
Dear Mitchell,
58
Colonial Office,
The Church House,
35
Great Smith Street,
5.W.1.
5 September, 1947.
Anid (19
With reference to the registration of "China' Companies in Hong Kong under Military Proclamation. No. 27, the sugestion has been made that the "date specified in paragraph 2" of Article 4 of the China Order in Council 1:43 shall be ixed at 30th September 1047. The Consul- General at Shanghai reports that 24e China Companies have now been registered in Hong Kong and 175 remain that have not applied for registration in accordance with the Order in Council. He adds that it is ont probabic th t the latter "China" companies are either acfunct or they have decided not to continue as companic: of British nations- lity.
If they are still operating in China as British companies, they must register as such under the Chinese Company Low 1946, and a prerequisite or registration with the Chinese authorities is registration at Hong kong. Very few applications for transier of registration to Hong Kong nave been received by this Consulate-Geral in recent weeks.
2.
The question has also been raised whether, as China companies might request consular services and protection, they should in their own interest deposit certain documents with the Consulate in which their chief local office is situated or their business is chiefly carried on. This would enable the Consul to ascertain to what extent the companies are British and thus when a case arises, the Consul can satisfy himself that genuine British interests are in consideration.
3.
The documents which might be deposited,
deposited, are:
G.E. MITCHELL, ESQ.
/(a)