CO129-563-19 Sino-Japanese War- fund for relief of distress in China 5-10-1937 - 17-11-1937 — Page 2

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Mr. Gull, the Secretary of the China Association,

came round to see me late yesteruay evening and left with

me the attached papers about the appeal which is being

made jointly by the China Association, the British Red

Cross Society and the Conference of Missionary Societies

for funds for the relief of distress in China. The Lord

Mayor of London nas also issued an appeal for a fund which

I gather will be separate but will be worked in conjunction

with the organisation for managing the appeal of the three

societies.

In the attached papers will be seen, marked "A",

a telegram of the 2nd August from the Tientsin branch of

the China Association asking for the Lord Mayor to be

moved to open a fund for the purpose. On that occasion

the request was not accepted by the Lord Mayor.

"

·B"

On the 28th August a further appeal came from

the British Chamber of Commerce, Shanghai, to which it

was first proposed in London to send a negative answer,

but almost at the same time the China Association had a

letter from Mr. Ronald of the Foreign Office asking them

whether they could not organise some relief fund for

those in distress in China. The China Association thereupon

decided to act in association with the two other societies,

and this public appeal has resulted.

It will be seen that not only has the appeal

been launched under official favour, but H.M. Ambassador

in China is to be President of the organisation to be set

up in China to administer the money and the material

fortncoming, and the Governor Designate of Hong Kong,

Sir Geoffry Northcote, has accepted the Vice Presidency.

Mr. Gull told me that the Foreign Office had

telegraphed