CO129-591-6 Estimates for 1944 and 1945 3-11-1943 - 3-11-1943 — Page 42

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55104/7/X/44.

Dear Wilcox,

Colonial Office,

Downing Street,

3.1.1.

い

1.2.

May, 1944.

6

صبا

1 HK. thalaga. Gat i/e (8) Серди

In your letter No. E.46110 of the 21st July last, you agreed to the financing of the Hong Kong and Borneo Planning Units from Hong Kong funds and United Kingdom funds respectively. At that time all that was in question was the payment of salaries to the Officers of these Units, for example, in your letter of the 26th of August you agreed that the salaries of the Officers of the Borneo Unit should be met from the Vote of Credit and accounted for as a (b) service. The time has now come for us to seek Treasury authority for expenditure on other matters relating to the work of these Planning Units, in addition to the salaries of the Officers of the Units.

As you are aware, there has been a good deal of discussion (which is still proceeding) as to the division of responsibility between the War Office and the Civil Departments concerned, in the matter of the purchase of equipment, etc., for Burma and Malaya over and above what is accepted by the War Office as a military responsibility. Similar questions will, of course, arise (in fact they are already arising in relation to Hong Kong and our territories in Borneo. We have not previously approached you on the matter, partly because we were waiting to see what conclusions were reached in relation to Burma and Malaya; and partly because, in the case of Hong Kong and Borneo, the Military

C.H.M. WILCOX, ESC

Authorities