7
9
54337/49.
CDS.13001.
Dear Jones,
Colonial office,
The Church House,
Great Smith Street,
London, S...l.
27 January, 1950.
I enclose a copy of Hong Kong Savingram No. 992 of the 30th November, 1949. I am afraid a rush of urgent work has caused us to sit on this for six weeks.
2. This savingram answers the one we sent on the 12th January, 1949, No. 35, about the harbour craft in Hong Kong, concerning which we have had much correspondence with you. The Governor attempts in his enclosure No. 9 to answer our enquiries about the provenance of the craft; but, as we discovered after trying to draw up a complete analysis of their history from the facts he gives, it is still impossible to classify them under the four heads given in paragraph ó of our Savingram, and it seems likely that we never shall be able to do that.
3. In those circumstances we feel we should go shead to get the most reasonable settlement possible on the scanty and largely conjectural evidence available. Going back to the origins of the programme for supplying harbour craft to get the port of Hong Kong going again on liberation, a list of requirements was drawn up by the Hong kong Planning Unit, scrutinised by the Brett Working Party and incorporated in their Report, and approved by the overseas Port & Transit (Harbour Craft)
Craftpproved Sub-Committee 60th Weeting, 17th July, 1945- and by the Departments concerned with procurement or
Subsequently, as was only to be expected
/in
supply.
A.J. JONES, ES....,
Ministry of Transport,
Berkeley Square House, W.l.