CO129-579-3 Sino-Japanese War- shipping 30-10-1938 - 23-12-1939 — Page 106

No. 178.

21 MAR 1939

12 106

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONG KONG.

11th March, 1939.

I

Sir,

I have the honour to refer to my despatch

No.117 of 22nd February, 1939, regarding an application

from the Dairen Kisen Kaisha for clearance of certain

vessels from Hong Kong and to forward for your

information copies of further communications from the

Chinese Government and from the local solicitors acting

on their behalf requesting that this Government should

take active steps to prevent the removal of these

vessels from Hong Kong waters.

2.

I am informed by my legal advisers that in

the absence of any direct evidence that the master

intends to remove one of these vessels it is unlikely

that the Court will implement its present order by

ordering the removal of any part of the machinery of

the ship in question and that in any event such

implementation would only be on the application of a

party to the civil proceedings and not on an application

of this Government.

3.

I am further advised that the only course

open to the Hong Kong Police is to keep a careful watch

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

MALCOLM MACDONALD, M.P.,

&C.,

&C., &C.

CopyTo Fo

13

BIT. 14.