54447/5/50
The Church House,
Creat Smith Street,
Lonkon, SW1
25 August, 1950.
23
Dear Seymour,
Will you please refer to correspondence about requisitioned railway materials in Hong Kong resting with your letter to me of 10th July under referencs 120/Overseas/300. In my letter to you of 14th March on this subject I mentioned that wo we:10 following up Lt. Col. Walker's suggestions regarding the obtaining of furtier evidence about the railway Laterials and we in fact ser a copy of Lt. Cal. Waller's letter to Hong Kong so that further investigations could be made on the spot. We have no hear from ilong Hong und 1 enclose for your informtion a copy of Hong Bong savingezza No. 162 of 11th August.
It seems to us clear from the evidence in this savingram, taken with the recollections of 14. Col. Walker and Mr. J. Smith, that a considerable amount of work was in fact undertaken in Hong Kong in connection with the 600 wagons with which we are concerned and a considerable expenditure et ly the liong Kong Government; you will see from the latest savingres that this expenditure is put at a minimum of £105,000, and that this figure is based on accurate estimates of the quantities of materials supplied and on the prices current in 1941.
We therefore hope that the War Office will now feel able to accept the llong Kong claim in full, 1.e. £105,000, in respect of the Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section) Claim (see paragraphs 3-6 of Hong Kong savingram No. 974 of 25th Novanter, 1949, enclosed in my letter of 5th January. To
LT. COL. G.V. SEYMOUR, GRE.,
WAR OFFICE,
LONDON, S., 1.
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