460/49
LONG KONG.
VIDGUTIAL No. 87
Fa. (21) (24)
COLONIAL OFFICE,
THE CHURCH HOUSE,
OREAT HITZI STREET
2/ April, 1949.
57
13
sir,
I have the honour to refer to my telegram No. 347 of the 30th March, 1949, regarding orders for at ree placed with the Hong Kong War Supplies Board. I have given further and very careful consideration to this whole problem in consultation with the Ministry of Supply and I will in this despatch set out as fully as possible what action has been taken in respect of the various claims, and the conclusions that I have reached as regards the various categories of claims referred to in previous correspondence. I regret that this reply to your despatches has been so long delayed.
2.
The moat straightforward category of claims is that relating to stores which were actually shipped or were delivered to godown (Category "A" claims). It is understood that the Ministry of Supply has already paid the sum of £150,000 to the Crown Agents for the Colonies on account of goods actually shipped or delivered into godown against orders placed on behalf of the Eastern Group Supply Council; those claims are referred to in paragraph 2 (Category A) of lär. hyatt's semi-official letter of 4th June to Br. Williams - No. 116/470.
My telegram under reference deals with Category "A" claime for stores supplied to the Goverment of India, costing in all #.3,410,744 (6213,171), referred to in your despatch No. 169 of 17th July, 1948.
I assume no payment has yet been received from the Government of Burma in respect of the Category "A" claim amounting to .105,206 (£6,575) referred to in the same despatch, and I am communicating with other Departments to see if it is possible for any settlement of this claim to be effected.
In the same despatch you also referred to a Category "A" claim against the Goverment of Singapore for .929,384 (£58,086) which was being dealt with direct with that Government, and I assume that no action on my part is required on this claim.
ne
3. I turn now to the claims (Category "3") relating to atores which were in process of manufacture, but were not actually shipped or delivered to godown. The amount of such elaine on account of orders placed on behalf of the Eastern Group Supply Council is given in your despatch No. 163 of 27th me, 1947, as 8.7,743,986 (£484,312). In my despatch No. 40 of the 24th December, 1947, paragraph 4, I sugrested that yo should refuse to meet all claims within this category. I added that there would be no objection to the claimants lodging laims for loss of damage to the Hong Kong War Damage Claims Comission. You recommended however, in your despatch No. 281 of the 29th November, 1947, that there should be no War Damage Compensation scheme in Hong Kong, a reca zendetion
GOVERNOR
SIK ALEXANDE ORAHTHAM, F.C.N.G.
etc., etc Etc.
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