CO129-509-8 Military Contributions- claim for relief 24-2-1928 - 15-12-1928 — Page 18

Copy.

ong. regd. on. 52859/28

52882/28.

Place

119/Abd/745 (F.1.)

The War Office,

21

1

Whitehall, S.W.1.

15th December, 1928.

Dear Beckett,

The £114,000 odd, now the subject of a cause célèbre between Hong Kong and us (your reference, if you

need one, is 52,859/28 of May 12th last) has had another

adventure and turned up in the Colonial Military Lands

Account. It was our intention in certain circumstances

to include the sum in the special Reprovision Account

opened when there was a prospect that the military would

be provided with quarters elsewhere in the Colony. That

project was dropped and the Command were told to merge the

special Reprovision Account with the Military Lands

Account. They had, however, already posted the £114,000

to the Reprovision Account; thus without more ado it has

turned up in the Military Lands Account and the item has

been promptly disputed by the Colony. It has nothing to

do with Military Lands and the Command have been

instructed to delete the item.

We are letting you know lest the Colony should

write to you about it.

Yours sincerely,

(Signed) A. F. Dobbie Bateman.

H. Beckett, Esfice.

Colonial Office.