CO129-451 - Public Offices - 1918 — Page 673

most careful treatment and

from? Whay files

cray 4 0/0.5. 22

2017/2/18

o. b.

L. 20 FEB. 217

traditive

withdrawal

20.2.18alonce

L

Any further communication respecting this matter should be addressed to- FEE COMPTROLLER-GENERAL

SPARTMENT OF COMMERCrag INTELLIGENCE,

BOARD OF TRADE,

78, BASINGBAGE STREET,

LONDON, 1.0.2.

The following number should be quoted-

D.C.I.

7396/18.

TRAD

RFC

8678

REA 19 FEB 18)

668

BOARD OF TRADE,

Overseas Trade,

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENOR,

(Development & Intelligence).

73, BASING HALL STREET,

LONDON, E.C.2.

18th February, 1918.

Sir,

I am directed by the Board of Trade to forward to you, for the information of Mr. Secretary Long, the enclosed copy of a letter received from their

Correspondent at Hongkong on the subject of two confidential reports by Mr. T.M. Ainscough, which have been placed in the Library of the Hongkong General

Chamber of Commerce. The Board wish me to call

attention to the fact that the report on "The Probable

Position of British Trade in the Far East after the

War" contains information of a highly confidential

nature, and that it is most undesirable that it should be on file in the Library of the Chamber of Commerce. the circumstances the Board would be glad if you would

move Mr. Long to be so good as to cause instructions

to be sent by cable to the Hongkong Government with a

view to recovering the report from the Chamber of

Commerce, or at any rate to the adoption of measures to

secure its most careful treatment, and its withdrawal

from the files of the Library.

In

I have the honour to be,

for

The Under-Secretary of State,

COLONIAL OFFICE,

S.W.1.

Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

7.4.a. Butter

Comptroller-General.