CO129-558-5 Territorial limits of Colony 28-12-1935 - 19-2-1936 — Page 14

Any further communication should be addressed to:- The Secretary of the Admiralty,

London, S.W.1.

quoting

M.04287/35. *

Sir,

14

SCHEME

O MEN

Admiralty, S.W.1

28th December, 1935.

RECEIVED

1

. O. REGY

उन

CONFIDENTIAL.

གང་

Curd -

M

I am commanded by My Lords Commissioners of the

Admiralty to transmit herewith, for the information of the

Secretary of State for the Colonies, a copy of a submission

received from the Commodore, Hong Kong.

2.

My Lords are unable to trace any communication in

which it has been suggested that a claim for jurisdiction could

be made in areas of the open sea outside the territorial waters,

determined in the usual way, of the colony of Hong Kong.

They

presume that the limits of the colony were described in the

Convention by roughly rectangular co-ordinates mainly as a matter

of convenience, and not for the purpose of claiming jurisdiction

over any portions of high sea enclosed by these co-ordinates..

3. Subject to the concurrence of the Secretary of State

My Lords therefore propose to authorise the insertion in the

China Station Order Book of the definition of the Colony

contained in Hong Kong Ordinance No. 31 of 1911, together with

a note to the effect that His Majesty's Government do not claim

jurisdiction over any part of the sea area included in the

definition, but that they claim the usual territorial rights

over the waters bordering the territories of the Colony, so that

territorial waters will in certain parts extend beyond the

limits defined in the Ordinance and in others fall considerably

short of them.

The Under Secretary of State,

COLONIAL OFFICE,

S.W. 1.

I am,

Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

JSBarnes

T.