CO129-615-4 Harbour craft used by Hong Kong Government- financial arrangements 30-1-1948 - 12-1-1949 — Page 38

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Telegrams (SHIPPING) "SHIPMINDER, TELEX, LONDON.'

(Inland Transport) "TRANSMINRY, TELEX, London." Telephone : ABBEY 7711 EXTN.

Any further communication should be addressed to-

THE SECRETARY,

(address as opposite)

and the following reference quoted :-

C...

C.D.S. 13001.

Your Reference

Sir,

1.

388$

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT,

BERKELEY SQUare House,

LONDON, W.1.

12/1

Fuly, 1948.

15 JUL 1948

REGY.

143.9=0 180, 850 52,450

376 200

48

I am directed by the Minister of Transport to refer to telegram No.487 of the 20th May, 1948, addressed to the Secretary of State for the Colonies by Sir. A. Grantham, and to the Secretary of State's reply in telegram No.589 of the 25th May, 1948, from which it would seem that there is some doubt as to the proper inclusion of the small craft item of 3 million odd Hong Kong dollars (about £200,000) attributed to this Ministry in the list of the outstanding liabilities of the Hong Kong Government arising out of Hong Kong Government arising out of the war.

Examination of the various documents available in this Ministry discloses that on the 23rd October, 1947, the Director of Marine, Hong Kong, informed the Ministry that he had presented a claim to the Government of Hong Kong amounting in all to £377,200 (£143,950 on behalf of the Ministry of Transport, £180,850 on behalf of the Admiralty, and £52,400 on behalf of the War Office) in respect of craft handed over to the Colony by those Departments. It will be observed that the amount of the Ministry element in that claim is less than the amount mentioned in the telegrams under reference above. In an informal reply dated 10th November, 1947, the Ministry suggested to the Director of Marine that the right course might be for the Government of Hong Kong to remit the matter to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, with a view to a meeting of representatives of the interested Department being held so that they might agree upon a lump sum settlement.

L.

The Under Secretary of State,

Colonial Office,

London, S.W.1.

/I am