CO129-521-5 Complaint by Davie- Boag and Co. against refusal to grant permission to erect traffic signals... 15-1-1929 - 19-2-1930 — Page 38

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COPY OF LETTER SENT TO THE HON.MR.W.T.SOUT HORN.C.M. G. COLONIAL SECRETARY, HONKONG, DATED 13TH AUGUST 1929.

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Ref: #RAY REFLECTIVE SIGNS.

We have the honour to advise you that, towards the end of last year, arrangements were made with the Manufactur- ers of the above Signs in England whereby we are now the authorized representatives in China, and to enlist your active support in the matter of having our communications which have, on several occasions, been addressed to the Hon: Director of Public Works, attended to with more promptitude.

To summarize the position, we first of all wrote on 22nd April and received a short reply dated 24th May. We also wrote on 1st May and received a reply on 14th May. We wrote on 17th May and received a reply on 24th May. We again wrote on 18th June and received a brief reply dated 25th June. Since the replies as enumerated above were, to our minds, decidedly unsatisfactory and offered no reasonable explanation for refusing permission to have these Signs erected in the Colony, we communicated with the Assistant D.2.W. by telephone on 27th June and explained the position to him. We further confirmed this conversation under date 27th June, and again forwarded a letter dated 26th July, asking for a definite ruling in the matter, but as it is now the 13th August, or in all practically four months since the se negotiations were taken up and as such enormous delays are in the general sense very pre- Judicial indeed to the development of business in the Colony, we have no option but to communicate with you in the matter, and hope that we shall, at an early date, be privileged to receive some satisfaction in regard to this outstanding question.

In commenting on this subject, we would just like to say that we are quite well aware that there is an Ordinance preventing the erection of sky signs and also what one might interpret as meaning illuminating signs, but the Signs in which we are interested are not such as would in any way, provided, of course, there are not erected indiscriminately affect the beauty or landscape of the Colony. We mention this in order that you may thoroughly understand that it is not our intention to make any erections which may disfigure the beauty of the Colony. We mention this in order that you may thoroughly understand that it is not our intention to make any erections which may disfigure the beauty of the Colony in any way, but at the same time, the whole matter is a business proposition and one which certainly calls for, in our opinion, considerably more attention from the local Authorities.

On interviewing the Assistant D.P.W. on 27th June, we were informed that these Signs were not known to him, but at the same time it is somewhat remarkable that the Police Authorities have road signals erected in various parts of the Colony in which are inserted a similar type of reflective sign. In consequence, therefore, the construction which we are bound to put upon the replies which we have previously had, is an entire absence of reasonable care having been exercised in the investigations made to ascertain wat type of sign was being