CO129-465 - Public Offices & Others - 1920 — Page 440

„- : communications on this

- I

'be addressed to-

The Secretary,

War Office.

London, S.W.1.

Hollowing number quoted,

plne VICTORIA 9400.

WAR OFFICE,

LONDON

C

26 August 1920 42396

68345276.(M.S.1.8)

sir,

RET

REL 26 AUG 20.

Go

439

In reply to your letter No.26526/1920 of 4th August 1920,I am commanded by the Army Council to state for the information of Viscount Milner that they are of opinion that, in the absence or incapacity of both the Governor and the Colonial Secretary, the succession to the Government should devolve on the General Officer Commanding as heretofore.

2. The Army Council,in their letter to the Colonial Office No.083/3982 (M.S.1.) of 31st March 1904, deferred to the opinion of the Secretary of State for the Colonies as to the necessity of ensuring that the Government. of the Colony of Hong Kong should be in the hands of a trained Administrator, the question at the time being whether the General Officer Commanding or the Colonial Secretary should administer the Government in the absence of the Governor.

In thus de ferring to the opinion of the Secretary of State for the Colonies the Army Council did not however contemplate that the process of devolution might be continued throughout the civil official ranks of the Colony, as is now apparently in effect proposed.

The result of any such decision would be entirely to exclude the General Officer Commanding from the succession to the representation of the Crown in Hong Kong and they feel that this would be disastrous to his prestige and would greatly lower his status notehly cally but in China as a whole.

3. The Army Council are strongly of opinion that Imperial interests demand that the status of the General Officer Commanding at Hong Kong should be maintained to the fullest possible extent. His responsibilities are not limited to Hong Kong but embrace the whole of His Majesty's troops in China, and his position is therefore an important one and not lightly to be subordinated to an official of any but high rank.

The Under Secretary of State,

Colonial Office,

London, S..1.

4.