CO129-558-11 Mission of Sir F. Leith-Ross to China- proposals for a Hong Kong - China customs... 29-9-1936 - 30-12-1936 — Page 4

This will be worful for the 50s, it

quection comes up at the Cabinet

Th

befon

in

a

Lave a reply to NYS.

4

IWGant. 9/10/36

This is

in the Agenda

for Weanesday's Caliner & we

had

beester

remind

H.K.

on

in four agrees.

D.L.

To for tel new 142

? Sov. Tel. 185

5 end.

5. Came

10.10

stace

cons -

10.10.36

14.10.76

tre, as for as

We now understand that Sir F.

Leith-Ross' S

report has been put on the Agenda for the Cabinet

Meeting of 14th October. A memorandum is attached on

the Customs Union proposal, in which the Eastern and

Economic Departments both concur. Briefly, we think

that such a Union would be on balance economically

harmful and politically undesirable; and that the

H.K is concerned, preferable alternative is a much less ambitious There may conceivably

be cires in which "It" whe politically

desirable

in the intent of

"Customs Agreement" on the lines of a draft which was

Gennal British police in China. SEG

negotiated