CO129-571-15 Sino-Japanese War- manufacture and import of aircraft to China 18-1-1938 - 5-1-1939 — Page 144

DODWELL & CO. LTD.

My dear N.L.

144

HONG KONG 20th May, 1938.

Aeroplane Factory.

I understand from His Excellency that you have

no reply from the Secretary of State to the despatch of 5th

February and that you sent them a reminder on 5th May.

I called on His Excellency this morning as a

result of a conversation I had with the Intercontinent Cor-

poration. It appears that the British Government are trying to get planes from America and cannot get as early delivery there as we could give here, notwithstanding that we should have to erect the factory and get out the necessary jigs,

tools and fixtures to start manufacture.

Pawley assures me that we could have the factory

erected and the plant installed in four months, and deliver

the first plane in three months from that date,i.e. seven months from the time you authorize us to go ahead, provided

of course we can get the land at once.

Pawley suggests a factory capable of turning

out 200 planes per annum and anticipates no difficulty in

getting the necessary experts and Chinese labour for one of

this size. He further estimates that the price would be

about 20% at least cheaper than American prices.

Such information as we have leads us to believe

that the plane which the British Commission favours is the

Curtis "Hawk 75 A", a 300-miles per hour pursuit plane of

the very latest design. We could build them, or for that

matter British Gloster Gladiators, provided the British

manufacturers will cooperate and let us have the necessary manufacturing equipment as promptly as we can get the

American for the "Hawk".