CO129-369 - Acting Governor May Governor Sir Lugard - 1910 [10-11] — Page 503

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FIDENTIAL.

atome

Gournay

Sir,

for

CO

39338

16:24 DEC 101

501

Government House

24th. November, 1910.

Enclosure 1.

I have the honour to enclose a

letter addressed to the Colonial Secretary by Monsieur

Gaston Liébert, French Consul in Hongkong,covering an

application from a French Company to give public exhibi-

-tions of Aeroplanes, and apparently to establish in this

Colony a branch of the "Société d'aviation d'Extrême-

-Orient". Monsieur Liébert wrote also privately to my

Private Secretary asking that I would accord an interview

to the representatives of the Society.

2.

It appeared to me that to accord

permission to a Foreign Company to make Aeroplane or

Balloon ascents in a fortress like Hongkong, would expose

our defences to scrutiny, and would form a precedent from

which it would be difficult to recede if applications were

made by Germany, Japan, or other Powers. I wrote privately

in THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

LEVİŞ HARCOURT, M.P.,

&co...

&C. 1