CO129-557-9 British protection of companies in China 26-3-1936 - 27-2-1937 — Page 27

(Copy)

Two enclosures

Number 402

'and five copies)

Copies to:

Embassy, Nanking,

Commercial Counsellor, No.152,

Judge,

Crown Advocate.

British Consulate-General, 27

Shanghai.

December 17th 1936.

List of Singapore companies with branches in China

Extract from North China Daily News,

16/12/36

sir,

In accordance with the instructions given in

Your Excellency's despatch No. 50 Tour Series of the

9th December I have the honour to submit the following

observations on the despatch from the Governor's

Deputy in the Straits Settlements, about the proposals

for the amendment of our company legislation in China.

2. In the first place it would be as well to

point out that there is a misunderstanding in the

writer's mind regarding the term "China company". This

designation was adopted for the purposes of the China

Orders-in-Council and is defined by section 3 of the

1925 Order as "a company limited by shares or by

guarantee incorporated under the Companies Ordinance

1911 of the Colony of Hongkong, or any Ordinance

amending or substituted for the same, and the

operations of which are directed and controlled from

a place within the limits of this Order" (1.e. China).

3. It is obvious therefore that there are no

"China companies" incorporated in the Straits

Settlements, and Mr. Small is probably referring in

a general way to Singapore companies composed of

Chinese. He is right, however, in assuming that the

proposed legislation would apply to these if they

operated in China; and indeed not only to Straits

His Majesty's Ambassador,

British Embassy,

PEKING.

/companies