CO129-518-1 Chinese Telegraph Office in Hong Kong 28-6-1929 - 3-1-1930 — Page 55

In any further communication on this subject, please quote

No. F 5728/4140/10

and address-

not to any person by name,

but to-

64

The Under-Secretary of State,"

Foreign Office,

London, S.W.1.

IVED

NOV 1929

-FICEI

955

FOREIGN OFFICE.

S.W.1.

23rd November, 1929.

8

30195/27 (20)

52740/28 (21)

52740/28 (22)

Aned (

Sir,

With reference to Colonial Office letter No.62882/29

of the 5th instant regarding the Chinese Telegraph Office

in Hongkong, I am directed by Mr. Secretary Henderson to

state that he considers that the Governor's proposal in the

last resort to close the office is open to the objections

urged by the late Sir John Jordan in 1911 and quoted in

paragraph 2 of Foreign Office letter No. F 7691/30/10 of

October 13th, 1927. Sir A. Chamberlain's concurrence in

such a course, intimated in Foreign Office letter No.

F 1052/76/10 of March 9th, 1928, was granted in view of the

special conditions existing at that time when a Centrai

Chinese Government was only nominally in existence.

2.

I am therefore to express the hope that Lord Passfield

will see his way to send telegraphic instructions to Sir C.

Clementi to the effect that the authority contained in Colonial

Office telegram to Hongkong of March 13th, 1928 is not of a

general nature, and that he should not close the Chinese

Telegraph Office without prior reference to His Majesty's

Government, so long as the present arrangement is in force.

An opportunity for negotiating an alteration of the latter

must present itself not later than next year.

I am,

Sir,

The Under Secretary of State,

Colonial Office.

Your obedient Servant,

CW. Vide