CO129-411 - Governor Sir May - 1914 [5-7] — Page 97

NO CONFIDENTIAL.

Sir.

21543 95

Pe 12 N14

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONGKONG. 16th. May, 1914.

34

7/3615

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt

of your Confidential Despatches of the 18th. of February and 6th.

of larch on the subject of correspondence with Mr. H. G. C. Fisher

concerning the delay in the construction of the Post Office Build- -ings in Hongkong and the removal by Mr. Fisher of official docu-

-ments from the Public Works Department.

2.

I have been unable to obtain Mr. Chatham's

remarks on the correspondence enclosed in your Despatch of the

18th. of February as he had left for England before its receipt. In accordance with your instructions I submit my own comments on

Mr. Fisher's letter.

3.

Mr. Fisher seems to have overlooked the fact

that in communicating to him the purport of the last part of para- 3189 -graph 2 of your Confidential Despatch of the 28th. of February,

Mr. Chatham wrote by direction; that Hr. Chatham as Head of the Department had been censured in the matter; and that the Architects had also been held to blame. He is not the only one therefore who has been held to be blameworthy for the delay which occurred.

4.

The Government was quite satisfied with the design of the building which was drawn up in accordance with the terms of Government Notification No. 743 of 1902, copy of which formed an enclosure in Sir Henry Blake's Despatch No. 366 of the

8th.

Ev/33688703

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

LEWIS HARCOURT, M.P.,

&C..

&c.

&c...