CO129-282 - Acting Governor Major Gen Black - 1898 [3-4] — Page 90

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transferred from the Hong-Kong & Shanghai Bank to another

Bank, I beg to report as follows:-

The directions of the Secretary of State in

despatch No.222 of 10th.October,1890 were "while the Praya

Reclamation works are being carried out,I desire that a se-

cond current account should be opened at another Bank for

the current expenses of those works which account should

not exceed $75,000 (and might probably be less)". So far

as I have been able to ascertain, this desire of Lord Knuts-

ford has never been complied with. The papers dealing with

C.0. D. 222 of 10th.October, 1890,seem confined to the ques-

tions of drafts by the Crown Agents and of the giving of

security by the Banks. In acknowleaging Lord Knutsford's des-

patch No.222 Governor Des Vaeux, in his despatch No.120 of

23ra. April,1991, wrote "under the circumstances I do not

doubt that Your Lordship will approve my postponement until

the receipt of further instructions of any steps in respect

of the redistribution of the Praya Fund among the various

#

banks. The reply of the Secretary of State was conveyed in

C.O.D.158 of 10th. July,1891, and enjoined the carrying out

of the directions given in C.0.D.222 of 10th.October,1890.

In a subsequent despatch 47 of 22nd. February, 1892,Lord Knut-

ford used language from which it might be inferred that the

object of the previous instructions as to the opening of a

second current account at another Bank for the Praya Fund

was to ensure as far as possible that the total amount of

7th ril

the

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