Copy for 54444
Oft *55136/26/49
The Church House,
Great Smith Street,
S.V. 1.
4 october 1949.
Ь
Dear @lado,
You asked me let you know what happened about the proposal in 1946 that Far Eastern Colonial Governments should malon a Token contribution toward the cost of a new Departaent of the Board of Trade, which Marienly had suggested in his letter of the 30th September 1946 to Palmer it would be necessary to set up to act as the Landon Agent of colonial Governments in the matter of war damage compensation claims.
You know of course, since you have a copy of my Secretary of State's savingram of the 14th November, 196 to Far Eastern Colonial Governments, that the proposal for London Agency was put to those Governments. I cannot find, however, that the matter progressed much further although we have Hong Kong's and kalaya's views and I enclose copies of those particular Governant's telegram. We have no record of the other For Eastern Colonial Government's views.
You will, nee from the enolomares that Hong Kong and Malaya agreed generally that a London office, on the lines envisaged, was necessary although the latter expressed some doubts about the functions of the proposed London Office in the light of the functions to be assigned to the lialayatı War Damage Commission which were then under consideration.
A.C.T. SLADE, ESQ.,
BOARD OF TRADE,
I.C.I. HOWE,
HILLBANK, S.W.1.
/In