BRITISH EMBA
MARKING
19th February, 198
10.8/0_94 (2/554/48)
Copied to:
Minister (Comercial), No.65
(zef. your 59 of Bih Jamuna~' (without enclosure) Hong Korg, No.46
Dear Department,
enclose herewith copy of a letter from Hutchison, forwarding oopy of a communioɛtion from the shanghai ofiice of Messrs. Jardine, katheson and Company, ne sɛents of the witistry of couni- cations, or the subject of equipscnt requisiti-red or alleged to have been requiritioned by the Government of Hong Kong (or the war office) in 1941. As you see Jardine'a representative solicits your msristanos. This is not the first reference to these engines etc. about which we be ve already exchanged correspondanoc (soe Leott's letter to Coghill of 10th December (r.16162/376/10) Inst on the strength of the above and subsequent eircumstances we mʊuld offer the following observations:
(a) Two of the locomotives in question are believed to have been skoda (4-6-2}s allegedly purchased by the Chinese in 1937, (but not completely paid for). They turned up in Roialmmy and have now been shipped to long org for delivery to the Ministry. This should result in a substantial reduction in tue total amount of the olalım.
(b) Le frankly do not understand how it can be argued, an regards this equipsept, that the prohibition of export, save b Licozce, mounted to a "blanket requisition", There is to evidence, so for as we can see, that the Ministry of Communicationg applied for permission to ship any of the equipsent out of hong kong or, indeed, had anywhere to ship it to.
(0)
invite reference to Labouchere's letter to Contes 5/0 0.226 of 24th April last. According to the lutost figures in cur possession, 25 pamnger coachoa and 50 wagons belonging to the British section of the Lewison-Carton Railway are stil. ic une by tue Janton- Bankos kailway, whioù can produce no better justification, apyarectly, for retaining then than the stateent that they cannot do without them There bava avan boen inalest ions that efforts have been mus t. fface the mumbers of this rolling stook in order to we identifi- sation lupo se ible.
2.
In view of the importunity of the Chin esa
ernment" (through the medium of Jardine, Matheson and Company) for the return of the material referred to in this correspondence on the one band and their 1impet-like adherence to British rolling stock on the
China Department,
Foreign ©fries,
LONDON, S. 7.1.
otho,
207