CO129-407 - Public Offices & Others - 1913 — Page 100

1

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dernful besp. follows by mail.

Foreign notes. Des

• Sout $

and send out copy of our letter to Treas. of 25

Feb. and of this reply for information and gui-

dance, L.F.

And send Treas. copy of 15294 and of our tel-

egram to Gov., with ref. to this letter.

We had better let F.0. have the despatches from

with this letter and oopy of our letter to

and of our tel. to Gov.

which it replies (fos perusal and return L.F.

It does not seem necessary to obtain their

concurrence.

AVe

16

Alouce

$.50 fm alts

13 M.

the Góv.

C. D. R.16 MAY

In the reply to this Letter the follorcing Number should be quoted.

C.O

TREASURY CH58?

Ma R1913.

TRE 8 MAY 13

4260

13.

99

13813

14391

Sir,

The Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury have given careful consideration to Mr. Read's letter of the 25th February last further with reference to the currency of Hong Kong and They now direct me to make the following reply.

The principal measure now urged upon the Secretary of State is the prohibition of the importation and circula- tion of Chinese silver and nickel coins.

As indicated in the letter under reply there are two possible objections to this step; first, doubts, which have been shared by your Department (vide Mr. Cox's letter 5116/10 of 8th April, 1910) have been expressed as to its practicability, second, the possibility must not be lost sight of that the Chinese authorities might retaliate by taking action against the Hong Kong subsidiary coins circulating in China.

Both these grounds of objection have been fully considered by Mr. Secretary Harcourt and have not been found sufficient to stand in the way of a proposal which has now become desirable for political as well as currency

the reasons, and which is recommended by the Governor, Chamber of Commerce and the leading members of the Chinese

community.

The Under Secretary of State,

Colonial Office.

In