38. Hong Kong - Sv. 627- f. (18) -18.9.18
39
Extract from for
40. A. L. Mussett (w.o)
41
A.L. Manett (W.O.)
tel.677
14-7-48.
120/0 Seas/300—2-28-48 & Wars (Try.)
120/O'scas 1300 to Scott (F.O./
2.00.48
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لاسما
1. This is a complicated case (or rather series of cases) inherited from the Eastern 'Joint Staff'. Delay in dealing with it, under the pressure of current work, has been quite inevitable.
2. To prepare a minute which would give the history of the numerous threads which criss-cross in these files would take more time than it would be worth. I will therefore confine myself to the three most important outstanding matters:-
(a) the basic document is (5) on the 1947
(b)
file. With this Hong Kong sent us what can be resolved into two sets of claims against the War office for railway materials requisitioned by the Hong Kong Government in 1941 for the Director General of Transportation, Middle East. One set
-
is a claim for moneys due to the Hong Kong Government totalling approximately £148,000 (£130,841/9/3d. on behalf of the Kowloon - Canton Railway plus £17,328. 11s. on behalf of the War Supplies Board the latter sum is stated as £9,090.16s. in paragraph 6 of (21/24), but this appears to be a slip see paragraph 5 of my draft letter to Mr. Mussett.) The other set is a claim for moneys due to the Chinese Government totalling £323,689. 10s. (This claim has now become £353,458 by a later addition see paragraph 2 of (21/24) and footnote to statement attached to (40)).
There is no basic document here, but see
paragraph 1 of (20), paragraph 3 of my minute of 13/8, and (33). There is a further Chinese Government claim somewhere, amounting to something over £940,000, which relates to railway materials admittedly never formally requisitioned, but (according to the Chinese story) by Hong Kong Government Ordinance not allowed to be removed from Hong Kong without permit and therefore ultimately lost. This claim is quite separate from that for £353,000 odd referred to in (a) above.
(c)
The basic document is (1) on 54416/47.
sets out a claim against the Chinese
This
Government for nearly £154,000 for rent for, and damage done to, property (mostly in Kowloontong, which in 1945 had been requisitioned and used as a transit camp for Chinese troops.
3.