CO129-424 - Governor Sir May - 1915 [9-10] — Page 152

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

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when British creditors are being made to suffer by delay in paymen of their debts. In addition, there are cases of Germans possessing land, buildings, furniture and investments but without debts when

the Government see no reason for liquidating.

The Committee desire to point out that this

is mistaken kiddness to the Germans themselves on the ground that if these Germans expect to return under easy conditions of living they will find out their mistake. They have been expelled from all the Clubs and trade organisations and British public opinion is so strongly against them that any attempt at rehabilitation will be strenuously opposed. Individuals naturally do not wish to be

obliged to do this and this Chamber believes the best policy would be to turn all German assets into ready money or investments in British Government Stock so as to provide a single and simple method of uniform settlement when the tire comes.

*

Another point in the method of liquidation of the stronger German firms is that of Portuguese and particularly

Chinese employees who are being subsidised in the form of wages to

remain in the employ of the liquidated firms either marking time

or helping only batfyearly halfheartedly in the liquidation. Hany

of these men would be gladly taken on by the British Firms who are

trying to cope with the trade formerly done by German houses but

until the Chinese mind can be thoroughly disabused of the idea

that the Government is in favour of helping the German firms to

start again where they left off it is impossible to expect

British firms to increase their business. Chinese capital is being

withheld from trade to the loss of the Colony and the only way to

stop this is to instruct the liquidators to discharge such of the

employees, brokers, and other intermediaries as are not actually necessary and to fix their remuneration accordingly and that under no circumstances should German capital be used to subsidise such

men so that they can afford to wait until the Germans are dis-

-interned.

The question of the advisability of the re-

-tention

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