CO129-542-1 China- traffic in arms 31-10-1932 - 9-2-1934 — Page 24

24

و

I don't garter

this.

Lym

The

purepraph is conced with airanft & primarly

Gvil aircraft.

ins

75.

The Board of Trade propose if the War Office

and Foreign Office and ourselves have no objection

to permit the Soley Armament Company to despatch

1000 rifles to Hong Kong on consignment as samples

provided that the firm undertakes not to re-export them

from Hong Kong (to China or elsewhere) without the

written consent of the Hong Kong Government.

We need have no objection, and we should

ask to be informed in due course of the decision on

the case in order that the necessary information may

be sent to the Governor.

Copy above to F.0.

W.O

and better send the Governor now a copy of above and

of 75.

76.

Hong Kong view that the Colony should be used as a

showroom and depot for British aircraft, and they

proceed to suggest that similar facilities could be

offered to other kinds of British material for war,

e.g. tanks.

The Board of Trade profess.mpathy with the

I don't think one can be very certain that

either the Foreign Office or the Governor of Hong Kong

would place facilities for the display of tanks and

similar engines on quite the same footing as aircraft.

From paragraph 3 of 56, anyway, the Governor cannot

be assumed to favour an extensive display in Hong

Kong of such purely war-like material as e.g. tanks.

I think we should say in reply to the Bord

of Trade that the Secretary of State agrees with the

Board's proposals to facilitate the efforts of British

aircraft manufacturers to obtain orders in China, but

before expressing any view as to the desirability of

affording similar facilities for the display in the

Colony