CO129-455 - Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1919 [7-9] — Page 14

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GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

HONGKONG. 2nd. July, 1919.

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My Lord,

I have the honour to acknowledge the

receipt of Your Lordship's Secret Circular Despatch of the 8th. May with regard to the preparation of a record of the measures taken in the Colony for dealing with internal difficulties due to the war.

2.

In Hongkong the files kept at the Colonial Secretary's Office contain a very complete record of the arrangements which have been found necessary to cope with the difficulties from time to time arising, and as these files are immediately available at any time it would seem to be unnecessary to draw up a separate report which would be in the nature of a precis of their contents. The complete file which deals with such a question as the winding up of enemy firms or the local shipping control schemes would, for pur- -poses of guidance in a future emergency, be of more value than any summary separately recorded.

3.

The Cable Censor has made a detailed report upon the methods adopted in his Department, and I am calling upon the Postal Censor to furnish a similar report. There will then be available in a practical form a full record

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

VISCOUNT MILNER, G.C.B.,

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