CO537-5142 — Page 360

96834/15/48 CURETDENTIAL

Palace Chambers, Bridge Street,

London, 8.W.1.

5 February, 1948.

تے

Dear Ralph,

Please refer to my letter of 15th July, 1946, aðŝresned to David, and. Pilcher's reply of 22nd July on the subject of broadcasting from Hongkong.

The project, on which we then sought the views of the Foreign Office, was for a service of locally originated news and commercial material to be transmitted from Hongkong to an area including South China, the Yangtse Valley and Nanking, designed to serve the Colony's interests as an entrepet and commercial oentre, It was suggested that two or three simultaneous daily program:8 might be radiated with a power of about 71⁄2 kilowatts and using English, Cantonese, Fandarin, Hakka, Hokkien, Portuguese and French.

Pairly detailed technical advice on this project mas obtained subsequently from the B.3.C. and passed to the Governor of Hongkong. le have recently received a despatch on the subject of which I enclose a copy. You will see from it that the

overnor has rakched the conclusion that the expanse vl' a short- wave service from #longkong to this area cannot be afforded by the Colony at the present tims, though it would be willing to consider contributing towards the project if His Majesty's Government were to adopt it.

It is unwise to anticipate, in the present financial circumstances, that the Colonial Office will feel justified in

/ asking

RALPH MURRAY, 20...

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