in the Department. It is now in the process of being submitted to my Secretary of State, and my object in sending it to you at this stage is to avoid having to ask you to deal with it in a matter of hours, as I unfortunately had to do on a previous occasion. You will see that the draft is based on the assumption that (a) the Hong Kong authorities will adopt the proposal in regard to the franchise qualifications in our telegram No.875, and (b) my Secretary of State will feel able to accept on the other outstanding questions Sir Mark Young's advice in his telegram No.817. In particular, paragraph 3(a) of the draft despatch may require some amendinent in the light of the reply to paragraph 3 of our telégram to Hong Kong No.875.
It may assist you in the consideration of this draft to have at the same time copies of two draft telegrams to the Acting Governor of Hong Kong which are only awaiting my Secretary of State's authorisation before they are despatched. These drafts are marked 'B' and 'Çi.
If any substantial modifications arise in that draft despatch as a result of its submission to my Secretary of State, I will let you know. Meanwhile, I should be grateful if you would let me know as soon as possible whether you have any comments on its terms.
think it makes the various points to which the Treasury attach importance.
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Sir Mark Young is due to arrive in this country by June 16th and we are most anxious to have the draft despatch ready in its final form by the time he arrives here, so that as soon as he has had an opportunity of seeing it, it can be sent off officially.
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No comments yet.
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