CO129-382 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 66

M

G. B. 180/1

ALL COMMUNICATIONS

TO BE ADDRESSED TO THE

CROWN ACENTS FOR THE COLONIES.

THE ABOVE REFERENCE AND THE

DATE OF THIS LETTER BEING QUOTED.

TELECRAMS, "CROWN, LONDON."

TELEPHONE 1832 VICTORIA.

O (

sir,

Rec 11 AUG !!

64

WHITEHALL GARDENS,

LONDON, S. W.

10th August 1911.

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of

You. your letter No. 643/1911 of the 5th of July jast enclosing

a correspondence

with the Governor of Hong Kong on the

question of the possibility of obtaining a reduction in the price of passages booked under the Free Passage Scheme for

subordinate officers.

2. In reply to your enquiry we beg to state that we

do not consider that any useful purpose would be served

by our approaching the P. & 0. Company on the lines sug- gested in the 2nd paragraph of your letter, and this opinion is shared by the Admiralty officials whom we have consulted

in the matter.

3. In any case, supposing the Company were prepared to allow a discount on certain passages, we know for certain that they would not permit the inclusion, in the present General Scheme, of the amounts paid for any passages from which a discount had been allowed at the time of book-

ing. I therefore such an arrangement could be made with the Company, the exclusion of the amount paid for passages booked under the Free Passage Scheme might be detrimental to

Hong Kong

Under Secretary of State,

&c.

6C.

&C.

Colonial Office.