CO885-24 — Page 36

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE | Reference :--

TLTC.O. 885

24 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH--NOT TO

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CEYLON.

(d) Your telegram of 24th September, asking for the name and nation- ality of ships whose cargoes were being detained. To this I replied by my telegram of 28th September, informing you that there are no cargoes detained except those of such German ships as are themselves detained.

(e) Your cipher telegram of 24th September, informing me that the Ceylon contingent would proceed direct to England.

(f) Your telegram of 24th September, making certain corrections in your cipher telegram of 19th September regarding the Declaration of London. This has been duly noted.

(g) Your telegram of 25th September, regarding the validity of patents held by enemy subjects. sent in reply to my telegraphic inquiry of 23rd September.

!

I am consulting the Attorney-General as to the best method of dealing with the subject here in view of the possibility of a shortage of acetic acid and of the need for utilizing a substitute manufactured under a German patent.

(h) Your telegram of 25th September, forwarding copy of a telegram to Governor-General of Australia re enemy cargo and enemy property. The contents have been noted for guidance.

(1) Your telegram of 26th September, authorizing the release of powder consigned to Dutch Government on receipt of adequate guarantees. The necessary steps are being taken.

(1) Your telegram of 27th September, asking me, for international reasons, to obtain decrees in the form advised by your telegram of 23rd September.

This was in reply to my telegram of 24th September advising you of the Chief Justice's refusal to adopt the new Prize Court rules in pending cases, and recom- mending that condemnation be applied for.

Your instructions have been communicated to the Attorney-General and will receive careful attention.

2. With reference to your cipher telegram of 3rd September, I gave you the information desired regarding the 8.8. "C. Lopez y Lopez" by my cipher telegram of 25th September.

3. In continuation of paragraph 4 of my despatch of 23rd September,* I made inquiry from you by my cipher telegram of 25th September as to the disposal of the "

On receipt of your reply I Australia." "Moltkefels," and "Rappen fels." shall proceed to dispose of these and the remaining prizes in the manner approved. I still await your reply to my cipher telegram of 21st September regarding the insurance of the "Fürth.”

4. The Colony in general, and the members of the Ceylon contingent particu- larly, are much gratified at the decision, conveyed by your telegram of 94th Sep- This fact I tember, that the contingent is to proceed direct to England. communicated to you by my cipher telegram of 20th September. I am informed by the military authorities that the contingent will be ready to start-fully- equipped as far as is possible in Ceylon, and already well trained by the middle of October. As I have already informed you, I propose to use the prize ship "Fürth " to transport the contingent to England-letting the space available for cargo to local firms. As regards the financing of the contingent, this has, of course, been borne hitherto by the Colony during the period of vigorous and efficient training which officers and men have received from Colonel Fell, the Commandant, in Sep- tember at Diyatalawa. The Colony will also bear the cost of the initial equipment already referred to, together with cost of transport to England and a lump sum to defray pay and allowances at British rates from date of embarkation. I shall take measures, when the Legislative Council meets next on the 7th proximo, to obtain in proper shape the Council's approval of this expenditure, and thereafter will com- municate with you further as to the precise details of Ceylon's contribution in men and money in aid of War Office resources. My aim throughout has been to send only trained volunteers from here and to pay for them from our own fands, over and

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above the contribution which Ceylon is privileged to make to the Prince of Wales's Fund by private subscriptions, now amounting to about Rs. 200,000, with more to

follow.

5. The exploits of the "Emden in the Bay of Bengal have necessarily caused some alarm among the native population and considerable inconvenience to local commerce. The trade route to Singapore was reopened on the 27th, but the route to Calcutta remains closed, with the result that there has been a rise, which I trust The use of the prize ships for local will be only temporary, in the price of rice. cargo would do something to relieve the congestion caused by the sinking of so many merchant vessels by the "Emden."

The bombardment of Madras naturally gave rise to many wild rumours among the native population, the preservation of whose tranquillity is, of course, a matter of the greatest concern to me, and I found it necessary to suppress the publication of a local Tamil newspaper called The Muslim Friend on the evening of the 25th instant. This newspaper had issued a news-sheet giving publicity to a series of alarmist and wholly false reports alleging a bombardment of Batticaloa and the presence of hostile aeroplanes hovering over Colombo. It was at first thought that there might be a hostile motive and a European source for this publication, but care- ful inquiries lead me to believe that it was done purely to push sales. The Colony has now relapsed into the tranquillity which has characterized it during the war. 6. I have nothing of interest to add to my last despatch on the subject of the German prisoners of war.

7. In accordance with the expression of British policy set forth in your tele- gram of 21st September on the subject of trading with the enemy, I have supple- mented the Proclamation (of which a copy was enclosed with my despatch of the 23rd instant)* by a notification in Gazette Extraordinary No. 6666, of 25th Sep- tember (copy enclosed),† cancelling my notification of 14th August last.

German firms are now engaging in new business, their proceedings being watched in order to prevent any abuse of their powers in the direction of aiding the enemy. The legislation required to give effect to the instructions contained in your telegram of 21st September is now in course of preparation, for introduction into the Legislative Council on the 7th proximo.

8. To-morrow closes the financial period of fifteen months and in a day or two thereafter I look to know with approximate accuracy the realized surplus available as a balance. Such surplus, under stress of the war and probably still more under stress of the commercial depression to be expected after the close of the war, will now need to be employed, not on the schemes of development for which I had pur- posed to seek your sanction, but, instead, on the more urgent service of supplement- ing a failing revenue and of obviating non-employment by continuing and possibly by extending public works of utility. I am watching carefully the trend of matters in this all-important sphere and am thankful to be able to report that to-day dis- tress has neither occurred nor is threatened either on the (mainly) European estates upcountry or on Ceylonese coco-nut estates along the littoral. I continue to receive from the Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and from its efficient Com- mittee the fullest measure of that helpful co-operation to which I attribute, in the main, Ceylon's general tranquillity.

I have, &c.,

ROBERT CHALMERS,

42658/8

No. 94.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

(Received 2nd November, 1914.) (Confidential.)

Governor.

SIR,

The Queen's House, Colombo, Ceylon, 8th October, 1914. IN continuation of my Confidential despatch of 29th September, I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of the following telegraphic despatches :-

• No. 82.

* No. 82.

+ Not reprinted.

* No. 88.