CO129-615-4 Harbour craft used by Hong Kong Government- financial arrangements 30-1-1948 - 12-1-1949 — Page 17

5.

Before proceeding further however I

should be grateful for your comments about the

craft appearing on the Admiralty and War Office

lists.

here

17

6.

Enquiries are being made of the

Ministry of Transport as to how the craft

concerned (both those on the Ministry of Transport

list and the others) reached the Hong Kong

Government as it is desirable to know whetheri-

(a) they were craft ordered for, and

belonging to, the "Military Administration" (1.e. the Civil Affairs side, not the combatant side of the liberating forces) which were handed over to the civil govern- ment on the termination of the Military Administration?

or (b) they were ordered for the Military

Administration, but did not reach the Colony until after civil government had been restored?

or (c) they belonged to the combatant side of

the liberating forces, who, having no use for them themselves, handed them over to the Military Administration, whence they reached the civil government as in (b) above

they belonged to the combatant side of the liberating forces, who, having no use for them, handed them over after the termina- tion of the Military Administration firect to the Civil government?

or (a)

I should be glad to learn whether any information

available locally on the above points. It is not

suggested that detailed enquiries should be

entered into regarding the provenance of

individual vessels, but it may be possible that

a reply can be given covering the generality of

them.