CO129-591-7 Estimates for 1946-1947 12-12-1945 - 14-3-1947 — Page 33

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to the Malta settlement to explain why I do not

think we should gain anything by pressing as a

matter of principle that Hong Kong, or other

Far Eastern territories for that matter, should

now be given the same kind of financial help that

Malta is being given. In a word, it is because

in their case the psychological moment has passed

orrather, it never came, because they, unlike

Malta, were not fortunate enough to sustain a ìøm

long siege with success. It is for that reason,

and not from any lack of sympathy with the claims

of the Far Eastern territories, that I adhere to

the view that we shall get better results by basi

basing our case to the Tresury not on principle

but on the capacity, or rather lack of capacity,

of the territories concerned to meet necessary

liabilities. That in turn, presumably means that

we must await the results of the war damage

investigations which are being undertaken in the

several territories before we can make out our

the Treasury. In the meantime I

main case

do not think that we shall lose any thing material

by continuing to accept the assistance the

territories immediate require to enable them to

meet immediate needs on a loan-in-aid basis,

provided that we make it plain that we reserve the

right to try and make our case later for conversio

of pa rt or all of the loan assistance into grant

I would add one qualification only to the

view that Hong Kong is in principle deserving of

the same sort of consideration as Malta. This

qualification relates to the last sentence of the

Governor's despatch at 51, where he speaks of

Hong Kong's resembling Malta in its almost entire

'lack of natural resources. That in the narrow