CO537-5142 — Page 148

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Mr. Whitley 2

Mr. Morgan

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Mr.

Mr.

Parkin

48

Minister of State

Secretary of State

дріїв

fee

DRAFTS CONFIDENTIAL

Your Reference.......

Sir Alexander Grantham, K. C.M.G.

Government House,

Hong Kong.

FURTHER ACTION.

urgently

Resin L

1 Shivay

r

to

fuckery vitly 1. (100)

shay;

See 105 +117.

(92)

(90)

Th. Parkin's

mahuli).

Letter for Sir Charles Jeffries' signature.

Your letter to Sidebotham of 14th June about

broadcasting has been unanswered for longer than we

would have wished; but, as are aware, there is

more than one difficult side issue involved and

only now do we feel that we can reply effectively.

We are replying at the same time to your

confidential savingram No.461 of 11th June to the

the effect that we do not favour your suggestion that

the broadcasting service should be handed over to

the commercial Rediffusion Company, but that we

would gladly give favourable consideration to an

application for capital assistance from the General

Reserve under the Colonial Development and Welfare

Act of up to $250,000 in order to help you to meet

your unexpectedly large bill for improvements in

the premises and equipment of the Government

broadcasting service.

We do not want to be unduly rigid or

doctrinaire on the subject of commercial broadcasting; but from the information, available to us there seems Lgrounds for hoping that the shimmling of new premises and grape

to be no reason why with perseverance, and possibly

some increase in the receiving licence fee, which I

believe you have been considering, the Government

Broadcasting Service should not nearly, if not quite,

balance its recurring budget. In such circumovem

we do not see wh

expected to why the service

should be