CO129-396 - Public Offices - 1912 — Page 172

Copy.

158.

(44572).

Sir:-

34382

BOARD OF TRADE.

(Harbour Department) REC?

7, WHITEHALL (FANDO OCT 12

170

LONDON, ..

21st. October, 1912.

Ton

I am directed by the Board of Trade to acknowledge the

receipt of your letter of the 10th. October (No.41286/12)

enclosing a copy of a letter from the Imperial Merchant

Service Guild advocating the establishment, in the interests

of navigation, of a light in the vicinity of the Paracels

Reef, China den.

In reply, I am to state, for the information of the

Secretary of State, that the board aro advised that the

erection of a light in the neighbourhood of this reef would

not be of great assistance to navigation as it would be im-

possible to place a light on any one of the group of islands

or reefs which would serve to mark all the reefs in the

group.

I have &c.,

(Signed)

T. H. W. Pelham.

The Under Secretary of State,

Foreign Office,