CO129-546-11 Kowloon city- expropriation of Chinese owned land 9-1-1934 - 28-12-1934 — Page 72

AIR MINISTRY,

ADASTRAL HOUSE,

20.

KINGSWAY, W.C,2.

26 June,

1934.

72

Dear Cowell,

We are rather at a loss in regard to your official

12. letter of the 30th April (33744/1934) on the subject of the

possible exercise of Chinese jurisdiction in Kowloon City.

I understand that you have also asked the War

Office for their opinion on the matter. Our view would be

that broader questions of general defence policy at Hong Kong

in which no specific air interest was involved were matters

on which the Colonial Office would naturally be advised by

the G.O.C., Hong Kong, and the War Office rather than by the

Air Ministry.

You may, however, have in mind that the exercise of

Chinese jurisdiction in Kowloon might result in the approaches

to the aerodrome being interfered with. That, of course, is

a matter of very direct interest to us, and it is one on

which some correspondence has taken place between the Officer

Command ing, R.A.F., Far East, and the Colonial Secretary's

Department, Hong Kong Government.

H.R. Cowell, Esq., C.M.G.,

Colonial Office,

S.W.1.

We are expecting to hear

further/