CO129-476 - Acting Governor Claud Severn & Governor Sir Stubbs - 1922 [8-12] — Page 207

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NOTE

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Sir G. Grindle saw the representatives at 3 p.m.

on Thursday the 9th of November. They were :-

Mr. Burroughs (of Gibson and Welldon), Mr.C.R.Burkill (Meller and Company) and Mr. J.V.C.Davis, Mr. Bushe and I were also present.

Mr. Burroughs opened with a general

tatement of

the position. He argued that conditions in HongKong were qui te different from those in this country, and referred to the question of war risk insurance.

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?

Sir G. Grindle said that before the discussion went further it would in his opinion be useful if he Were to state the general position of the Imperial Government in the matter. He stated that it had been

necessary for war reasons for the Government of HongKong

to take the action which was taken as to the requisiti oni n

of ships. The Secretary of State's attitude as to this

action was that either it was legal or if it were not and for the sake of argument he was prepared to admitthat

it was hoplessly illegal, it must be made legal. The

Indemnity Ordinance was not a device of the HongKong

Government to meet their own special difficulties, but

was passed on the instructions of His Majesty's Govern-

ment, as similar Ordinances were passed in Colonies

similarly situated, and was intended to carry out the

deliberate intention and decision of His Majesty's

Government that shipowners in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the Colonies must not be placed in any way in a more favourable position than shipowers in this country. It had been suggested that the action of the HongKong

Government