CO129-431 - Governor Sir May - 1916 [1-2] — Page 89

NR CONSIDENTIAL.

C

Sir,

REC

C.O

8134

Rest 10 FEB 16

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONGKONG, 6th. January, 1916.

87

I have the honour to inform you that the Hong- -kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation on receiving from their London Office a list, draw up by the War Trade Department, of Firms whose business it is considered undesirable to facilitate or finmce, found the entry "Netherlands Trading Society" - for China

and Siam.

2.

The Netherlands Trading Society have a Branch

at Shanghai, and Branches in Singapore and India, but none in

Siam. On the other hand the Siam Commercial Bank net as the

correspondents of the Netherlands Trading Society in Siam, but the

Hongkong Branch of the latter does very little business in Siam,

while the Ketherlands Trading Society act as correspondents for

the Sign Commercial Bank here collecting Bills etc for it.

In these circumstances the Manager of the

Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation enquired whether his Bank might still have transactions with the Netherlands Society. To this enquiry I caused the letter of which copy is enclosed to

be addressed to the Bank under date of the 31st. ultimo.

3.

It is probable that the branches of the Netherlands Trading So iety outside Hongkong deal with Gorman and suspected firms, but no grounds exist for suspicion of my illegal acts on the part of the brach of the Society in Hon konį.

I have the honour to be, Est

Sir,

[RIGHT HONOURABLE

Your most obedient,

humble servant,

maz

Governor,&c..

ANDRE BONAR LAY. -P、