CO129-579-6 Sino-Japanese War- Canton-Kowloon Railway 14-2-1939 - 3-4-1939 — Page 14

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In any further communication on this subject, please quote

No. F 984/42/10.

and address-

not to any person by name

but to-

The Under-Secretary of State,"

Foreign Office,

London, S.W.1.

Confidentiul

D

FOREIGN Office.

S.W.1.

14th February, 1939.

58838/24/

Aned (2

38

Sir,

I am directed by Viscount Halifax to refer to your

letter No.53838/24/38 of the 6th January on the subject

of the seizure by the Japanese of the British-owned rolling

stock of the Canton-Kowloon Railway. Lord Halifax presume s

the relevance of the Japanese reference to the rolling stock

belonging to the Chinese section of the railway which has

been deposited in Hong Kong territory to be that the

Japanese Government claim this rolling stock for themselves

and are not disposed to part with the property of the Hong

Kong Government unless it is returned to them. In this

connexion Lord Halifax is advised that, if there were a war,

the Japanese as regular military occupants would have the

right to requisition property for military purposes provided

that, in so far as it was private property, at any rate of

neutrals, adequate compensation was paid. And even in the

absence of a state of war, it is in practice difficult to

deny them the exercise of this right.

2.

I am also to invite attention to the telegrams,

which have been received in this department since your letter

was written, on the subject of the possible reopening of the

Canton-Kowloon Railway: (see Canton telegrams Nos.7 and 18

to Shanghai and Shanghai telegram No.68, copies of which were

sent to the Colonial Office under Foreign Office printed

letters

The Under-Secretary of State,

Colonial Office.