CO129-444 - Governor Sir May & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1917 [10-12] — Page 212

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REG 12 NOV 17

PARAPHRASE TELEGRAM

From the Governor of Hong Kong to the Secretary

of State for the Colonies.

(Received Colonial Office 11.22 a.m., 10th November 1917.).

Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs has made enquiry through Consul General here as to whether there is any objection to Japanese fisher- men using Hong Kong as base of operations. Fishing grounds in Hong Kong colonial waters are so fully used by Chinese that it would be most inconvenient to allow Japanese to compete and it would certain- ly be unremunerative. Commodore considers there is grave objection to proposal and I propose to intimate that inconvenience would be caused by competition with local Chinese.

MAY.