CO129-615-4 Harbour craft used by Hong Kong Government- financial arrangements 30-1-1948 - 12-1-1949 — Page 29

54337/48

CDS. 13001

The Church House, Gt. Smith Street, London, S.W. 1.

November 30, 1948.

29

1

Will you please refer to your official letter of 12th July and reminder of 27th October about small craft taken over by the Hong Kong Government? I am extremely sorry that there has been such a long delay in replying.

2. We have now looked into our papers on this subject. In his despatch No. 19 of the 30th January, 1948, the Governor of Hong Kong addressed us about Ministry of Transport craft now in the service of the Hong Kong Government and suggested that on various grounds it was unreasonable to charge the Colony with their value and expressed the hope that any claim there might be against the Hong Kong Government in respect of the vessels might be waived.

3. I attach a copy of Hong Kong despatch No. 19 with its enclosures. You will see that the list of vessels enclosed with the despatch gives the total estimated value as ¿199,175 (equal to H.A./3,186,800). This is the figure (rounded to the nearest thousand dollars) used in the telegrama quoted in the first paragraph of your letter of the 12th July. In para. 3 or his despatch of the 30th January the Governor explains that the valuation on the list attached to that despatch exceeds that given in his despatch No. 292 of the 12th December 1947, because it covers several vessels not included in the earlier valuation. That earlier valuation was £143,950, the figure quoted in para. 2 of your letter of the 12th July. This, I think, explains

F.C. HAMPDEN, EM.

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