Regent 8131 Ext.97
Ref: 120/Overseas/300
Inspector of Lands (Overseas),
THE WAR OFFICE,
CHR
w/9.
Nuffield House,
Piccadilly,
LONDON, W.1.
29th October, 1951.
(6)x(7)
Dear Hall,
I refer to my letter of 30th July, 1951 of even reference, and your reply thereto of 13th August, 1951 under your reference 54447/5/51.
Your efforts to provide us with additional facts in order to enable us to complete a settlement of this long outstanding matter are appreciated, but I trust that our attitude will not be regarded by you as unreasonable, when I suggest that as the evidence so far offered by the Hong Kong Government has not produced at least some documentary substantiation of the precise disbursements made by the Hong Kong Government, and to which we feel we are entitled, before we can agree the whole claim as presented.
We are not hope:ul of vouchers and accounts being produced at this stage, but it should surely be possible to ascertain how far the contracts placed with the Workshops had run before Japanese occupation, and what payments had actually been made by the Hong Kong Government and what deliveries were made. We stress this point because there seems a possibility that only some 50% of the materials ordered was actually provided, and even this may not have been entirely paid for at the moment of the occupation.
H.P. Hall, Esq.,
Colonial Office,
The Church House,
Great Smith Street, LONDON, S.W.1.
/I