396
13060/33 [No. 17].
52
No. 36.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
THE GOVERNOR
to
THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 24th August, 1933.)
(Secret.)
Government House, Singapore, 9th August, 1933. SIR,
In continuation of my Secret despatch of yesterday's date*, I have the honour to forward herewith three copies of a draft address† which I propose to deliver in Legislative Council on the 2nd October, when the Colony's defence contribution will next be debated. I shall be glad if you will be good enough to inform me by telegram whether you wish any amendments made in this draft.
2. In the event of your deciding that the agreement limiting the expenditure on local forces to $500,000 as a maximum is not to be included in the draft Ordinance, it will be necessary to amplify that part of my draft address which touches on this expenditure and to explain the reasons for omitting reference to this agreement in the draft Ordinance.
A duplicate will follow by ocean-mail. 3. I shall post this despatch by air-mail.
I have, &c.,
C. CLEMENTI,
Governor.
13060/33 [No. 19].
No. 37.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
THE GOVERNOR
to
THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 7.23 a.m., 30th August, 1933.)
TELEGRAM.
Executive Council to-day Secret. 30th August.
Defence contribution. unanimously approved the Bill and " objects and reasons" in the form in which they were enclosed in my Secret despatch of the 23rd August‡ sent by air mail.
13060/33 [No. 20],
53
2. On the following day I had a conference at Government House with Mr. J. Bagnall and Mr. A. P. Robinson, the two English Unofficial Members of the Executive Council, on the subject of the draft Bill and its "objects and reasons. Mr. Bagnall then stated that any remarks made by me or embodied in the "objects and reasons," expressing or implying that a voluntary contribution is expected by His Majesty's Government on or after passing the Bill, would jeopardize a unanimous vote in Legislative Council and might provoke considerable opposition. He said that, if the Unofficial Members, after the statutory contribution has been settled, wish to offer a voluntary contribution, such an offer must come solely from them without any prompting and without being in any way linked to the new Bill.
3. After their discussion with me, the two Unofficial Members went on to see Mr. P. A. McElwaine, the Acting Attorney-General, and with him settled the wording
objects and reasons.'' of the draft Bill with its new preamble and its revised "
4. This revised draft was brought to me by Mr. McElwaine on the 21st August, and I then discussed and settled it with him and with Mr. A. S. Haynes, the Acting Colonial Secretary. I now forward herewith 12 copies of the revised draft* and ask that it may be substituted for the enclosure in my Secret despatch of the 8th August.
5. You will notice that the eighth paragraph of the revised "objects and reasons reads as follows:-"Although no offer of a voluntary contribution was linked to this offer, as was the case with the offer made in 1928, such a contribution would be welcomed if offered voluntarily by the Colony on the initiative of Unofficial Members of Legislative Council." The inclusion of this paragraph was approved by Mr. Bagnall and Mr. A. P. Robinson. In the circumstances, and in view of the statement made to me by Mr. Bagnall, I suggest the omission of the whole of the last paragraph of my draft address, enclosed in my Secret despatch of the 9th August, and the substitution of the following Honourable Members will observe that no reference whatever is made paragraph:- in the Bill now before them to a voluntary contribution by the Colony in respect of Imperial defence. The matter is, however, touched upon in the eighth paragraph of the objects and reasons attached to the Bill. The offer of a voluntary contribution would be welcomed by His Majesty's Government if initiated by the Unofficial Members of this Council, but such a proposal is not in any way linked to the new Bill."
before 6. I shall now bring the redraft of the Bill and of its "objects and reasons Executive Council for approval: and thereafter I propose, on the suggestion of Mr. Bagnall and Mr. A. P. Robinson, to send copies of the revised print confidentially through Mr. Bagnall, who is the senior Unofficial Member, to all his Unofficial colleagues in Legislative Council in order that, if possible, a unanimous vote may be assured. inform you by telegram of the result; and I shall be glad if you will be good enough to telegraph to me as soon as possible any amendments which you desire in the drafts of the or of my address. Bill, of the "objects and reasons
I will
7. This despatch serves to confirm and amplify my telegram to you of to-day's date†.
I am posting it by air-mail; a duplicate will follow by ocean-mail.
(Secret.)
SIR,
No. 38.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
THE GOVERNOR
to
THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 31st August, 1933.) [Answered by No. 39.]
Government House, Singapore, 23rd August, 1933. With reference to my Secret Straits Settlements despatches, dated 8th§ and 9th August, concerning the Colony's defence contribution, I have the honour to inform you that, as proposed in the sixth paragraph of the former despatch, I discussed the whole subject in Executive Council on the 17th August. At this discussion it was decided to add a preamble to the draft Bill, a copy of which was enclosed in my despatch of the 8th August, to make certain small amendments in the body of the Bill, and to redraft the objects and reasons," setting out there in the full text of the offer made by the Unofficial Members of Legislative Council at Penang on the 30th December, 1932, for the settlement of this controversy.
13060/33 [No. 22].
No. 127. Secret.
No. 39.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
I have, &c.,
C. CLEMENTI,
Governor.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE
to
THE GOVERNOR.
(Sent 11 a.m., 9th September, 1983.)
TELEGRAM.
[Answered by No. 42.]
Your despatch Secret of 23rd August and previous
correspondence. I approve subject to the following observations of the introduction of the draft Ordinance fixing the Colony's military contribution, but for reasons given in
• No. 35.
↑ Not printed.
↑ No. 38.
§ No. 35.
No. 36.
• Not printed.
(C 38051)
† 13060/38 [No. 18]: not printed.
‡ No. 38.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TTFC.O.882/11
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON