CO129-605-5 Government loans 4-2-1948 - 8-1-1949 — Page 33

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

Governor answers (a) in the negative; and para.2 of

the savingram implies that conditions (b)(i) and (ii)

are satisfied in practice (apart from a negligible

amount of $150,000) although there have been no such

conditions laid down when the bonds were issued.

3. Portsmore also raised three more points,

which have not been put of Hong Kong his letter won intregment to me lot no.1245):- (14)

(which were not put to Hong Kong)+

(i) Why is it so difficult to market registered

issues in Hong Kong? The answer appears to

be that the Chinese will not subscribe to a

loan which is in a form which imposes any

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restriction on the ready sale.

(ii) What would be the attitude of Hong Kong

towards an application for official U.S.

in respect of interest or redemption money

due to a resident in the U.S.A.? Admittedly

we have no information on this point, but it

seems from the experience of the first issue

of $50 million that any purchase by, or

transfer to,a non-resident is very unlikely.

(iii) Whether registered bonds where the interest

is paid by means of coupons to bearer might

be acceptable?

-Except of course to Chimer with dual residface,

We understand that even if the original purchaser

of the bond were registered, the Chinese have evolved a

the

system of transfers where the space for 4 transferee's

document

name on the transfer arrangementis left blank, and the

bonds may thus pass through many hands before any

alteration is recorded in the register as to the owner.

It appears therefore that in the circumstances

3

of Hong Kong, bearer bonds are the only practical means

of raising a local loan and the Governor in para.3 of

again

his savingram enclosed, states this quite categorically.

In these circumstances if Hong Kong is to raise any

further amount locally it seems that it must be in the

partly to Escape

taxation and partly heause of the lack of sicure postal

wwvices htwren the Chiness Limbuland

and

tong Kong,

/form

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