CO129-569-2 Relations of Cheung Kwai Wan- petition for gratuity following Cheung's death in British ship 5-11-1938 - 4-12-1939 — Page 27

Copy to BIT. 12

No323.

ট

Ispare

Sir,

19 MAY 1939

53712/5/39

27

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONG KONG.

5th May, 1939.

+

(7)

I have the honour to refer to my telegram

No.94 of 10th March, 1939, informing you of the

refusal by the relatives of a Chinese seaman named

Cheung Kwai Wan, who lost his life following the

sinking of the s.s "Thorpeness" on 21st June, 1938,

to accept the sum of £25. 0. 0. offered them as

compensation.

2.

The relatives have put forward a statement

of claim based on:

(i) the capitalized maintenance costs over

many years of the mother, wife and daughter

of deceased,

(ii) the cost of bringing up a son to be

adopted as the deceased's lineal descendant

and

(iii) compensation for loss of deceased's

effects.

The absurdity of such a claim has been pointed out

to the relatives but they decline to reduce their

claim to a lesser capital sum than £250 and add, with

what authority I am not aware, that had deceased

survived with permanent disabilities he would have

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

MALCOLM MACDONALD, M.P.,

&C.

&C.,

&C.,