DEFENDE & GENERAL 10 MAY 1951 REGISTRY
INWARD TELEGRAM.
TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES.
Typex
COPY FOR REGISTRATION
FROM HONG KONG (Sir A. Grantham) D. 9th May, 1951, 16.45 hrs.
R. 9th
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MAY
1951
9
IMMEDIATE
No. 537
Confidential
Your telegram No. 583.
Netherlands Harbour Works.
I appreciate the difficulty about a precedent, but it is very necessary to find e solution to this problem from the point of view of Hong Kong. As I have explained, if this company takes its equipment away (and it was due to leave tomorrow, though I have persuaded them to postpone the move again for a few days), a substantial part of my five year construction plan, which was approved at the Budget Session in March, cannot be carried out. In addition to the possibility of considerable work at Kai Tak, there is work ready to start on :-
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(a) a new typhoon shelter,
(b)
(c)
(a)
the reclamation of the existing Causeway Bay typhoon shelter to provide a much needed recreation ground of over 50 acres in the centre of a most congested area,
the central reclamation which is being done to provide a site for new ferry piers and for a city hall, to replace the hall disposed of in 1935 with a promise by Government that a new city hall would be provided. There is no available site for new piers or a city hall, and to get one we must reclaim,
a reclamation to provide a site for a new abattoir to replace the present disgraceful one, which was built 70 years ago to serve a town of less than one fifth of the present population.
Projects (b) and (c) cannot be commenced if the Netherlands Harbour Works equipment is taken away and, since there has been a good deal of publicity on these projects, which are popular, there would be strong adverse criticism of the
Government
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