origin
94054/2/48
Cypher(0.T.P.)
OUTWARD TELEGRAM
FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES
Crhy
TO HONG KONG (Sir A. Grantham)
b
IMPORTANT
No. 1096 Secret
Sent 23rd October, 1948..
:
20.15 hra.
Addressed to Governor Hong Kong
Repeated to office o. Commissioner-Generel,
South East Asie no. 419.
Your telegram No. 960.
Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corpa,
I greatly regret delay in communicating
further with you on this subject. The following defines the position on questions raised in your paragraph 2:-
(2)
Procurement of stores as affected by the Role in war of the corps. At meeting on 23rd September Oversea Defence Committee deferred the question of the definition of the role of th corp & in peace and war for further consideration between the Colonist Office and the var office. At game mecting a Working Forty was set up to review generally the ODC paper on "Role of the Colonies in War", That Working Party s now being asked urgently to nakė a recommendation regarding the role of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps which it le hoped will be on the lines recommended in your savingram No. 86 which has just been received. As regards the last paragraph thereof, it cannot be guaranteed that readjustment of the recognised Role would automatically remove the corps from the "outside customer" category, but further
representations will be made, But, as was explained to Ride there should, be no difficulty in securing an adequate priority for the equipment of the military component of the Corps on an Infantry battalion basis even in advance of a formal decision of the Oversea Defence Committee allotting to the Corpa the altered pole now recommended; and all necessary indents for that purpose
/neod