CO129-556-15 Kowloon city- expropriation of Chinese property 22-6-1936 - 22-12-1936 — Page 34

COPY.

79.

Enclosure No.2.

Government House,

Copy to Peking (43) Hong Kong, 9th November, 1936. Copy to D.M. Nanking.

Sir,

34

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of

your letter No.103 dated the 21st October, 1936, forwarding a

copy of a communication addressed to you by Dr. Philip K.C. Tyau,

Special Delegate for Foreign Affairs. Inasmuch as the subject

of that letter has been also the subject of previous correspondence between the British Embassy and the Waichiaopu I am not prepared

to enter into a subsidiary correspondence thereanent with the

Provincial authorities. I can see however no objection to your

informing Dr. Philip K.C. Tyau what is common knowledge, i.e. that

the removals are being effected for sanitary reasons, that the

intention is to lay out the evacuated space within the walls of Kowloon City as a public park and that generous compensation is being awarded. Having been recently privileged to see with my own eyes what has been, and is being, done in Canton along the lines of

modern hygienic urban development, the suggestion that lessees whose main source of livelihood is pig-rearing should, after the

expiry of their leases, continue to be accommodated in Kowloon

City "so as to tally with the spirit of friendliness" between

Hong Kong and Canton has caused me considerable surprise and

disappointment. It seems indeed the very negation of cooperation.

For your personal information I may add that I con- sider Dr. Tyau's action in sending an emissary to Kowloon City without the cognisance of the Hong Kong Goverment was both dis- courteous and improper; and in the event of this correspondence being pursued through diplomatic channels, or if there should be any recurrence of the incident, I shall feel it necessary to

protest. For the present however I am content to ascribe it to

Dr. Tyau's unfamiliarity with his new duties.

2.

His Britannic Majesty's

Consul-General,

CANTON.

I have the honour to be,

Sir

Your most obedient servant

sd. A. CALDECOTT.

Governor, &c.