CO129-481 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1923 [8-12] — Page 296

NS CONFIDENTIAL.

REC

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290

53538

RE. 5 NOV 23

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONGKONG. 2nd October, 1923.

My Lord Duke,

K

35754

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Your Grace's confidential despatch of the 13th August regarding an allegation made by Messrs. C. L. Kettridge and Company in connection with the Indenmity Ordinance, 1922.

2.

You

440X

losure

fiosure

Z

The matter has been fully dealt with in the report

which was enclosed in my confidentiel despatch of the 27th July, I attach a further copy of that report for convenience of

reference; I would refer particularly to its paragraphs 35 and

36. I attach also a copy of a letter addressed by Mr. Fletcher,

under date the 6th September, to the North China Daily News at

Shanghai. I considered it necessary to take this unusual step

because of the great harm which was undoubtedly being done to

British prestige by the wide publicity which was being given throughout the Press of the Far East to the slanderous attacks

made by Mr. Moller and Mr. Burkill upon the Hongkong Government.

It will be observed that not only is the allegation that this

Government obtained a delay of legal proceedings by a suggestioni that a compromise might be arranged wholly untrue but that Mr. Moller was fully aware of that fact when he made the statement. 2. It may be explained that according to the

information possessed by this Government Mr. Moller was before the war a ship-broker working with Japanese, a man of none too good reputation, living largely from hand to mouth. When war

broke

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE, K.G.,

ac..

&c.

F