Jonaght
54126/6/08
necessarity
13:
1.5 am not repeat not dear how you have assumed from my tels Nos. 498 and 499 that legal liability with parise only in respect of you requisitioned vessels & As regards denial measues in genesid, I would refer to
to the advice contained in para. 3 of your Savin ram No. 651
of 22.10.47, from which I observe that any liability for compensation in
to held to)
respect of denial measures up to 25.12.41 rest with the Hong Kong Government
and/not with H. .G.
and/not
2.
Having regard to the present circumstances of the United Kingdom, and
to the assistance already afforded Hong Kong by means of the free grant of
£1 million to assist the colony in resolving problems arising out of
could wrt
ex enditure connected with the war Can H.K.G./ consider making-
financial assistance
Hong Kong further monios/in respect of denial claims.
giving
3. Whether the U.K. Service Departments themselves can properly accept charges
connexion with
after
arising in respect of such claims, can only be shown by the examination of these
laims in the light of the existing practice of the respective Departments
and of the facts in each case.
40
I propse, therefore, to arrange for the claims for which you have asked H.M.G. to accept liability, in para. 5 of your Telegram No. 437, to be
expeditiously examined by local representatives of the U.K. Departments
concerned, in consultation with the Hong Kong Government.
offres These will ascertain
the facts and report back to their Departments as soon as possible. Instructions are being sent by Service Departments accordingly a
5.
I have been very much concerned at the contăn
the opening sentence of
your Telegram No. 426 and would urge you to do everything within your power to
prevent outstanding issues from obscuring the very real assistance which H.H.G.
is affording Hong Kong, this assistance including as it does the £1 million to in presenting the settlement which reference is made in para. 2 above. You will be aware from the to you the gislative
Go to empha
NO.
very la
telegram of the assistance which) H.M.G. has under consideration for
Sise the spirit certain persons who have suffered losses through war damage in Hong Kong d in which it
has been mode
whom you
following
para. 3 of your Despatch No. 281 of 29.11.47,
6. It would be most unfortunate if
take place effumigin
delays in the examination now to
ubioned in the Telegram No. 437 were allowed to planeja
The matter
any appreciable part in the discussions of your Legislative Council.
is a complex one and it must be borne in mind that H.M.G. has an enormous task
in unravelling claims of all descriptions all over the world. Nor, of course,
it at all clear what further relief, if any, will be forthcoming to Hong Kong
I would ask you, therefore, as a result of the examination emai
wholes
and to call to it
nont be your Legislative Councils
the vast expenditure and losses of all kinds incurred by the U.K.
is
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