is inevitable that in any event a large number
of claims will be rejected by the Service
Departments, in which case any legal liability
which exists in respect thereof will have to be
met by the Hong Kong Government. The above
likelihood
misunderstanding, with the possibility of Hong Kong
having to accept certain liabilities which she thought
Considerably
would be accepted by H.M.G., has to some extent
detracted from the good effects in Hong Kong of
the terms of H.M.G.'s financial settlement with
the Colony. It is therefore in our opinion,
the more desirable that when H.M.G. is clearly liable
to meet any particular claim H.M.G. should do so
with the minimum of delay. Otherwise opportunity
is given for the non-official members to criticize
H.M.G. in the Legislative Council, not only on
certain (to them) unsatisfactory aspects of the
general financial settlement, but also on specific
claims whose non-settlement we are in no
position to defend.
The above is the general background for my
asking you to assist in the settlement of one
particular claim against H.M.G. which has been
outstanding since 1947, and amounts to over $2,000,000
(£150,000 odd). While this claim is perhaps of no
great size from H.M.G.'s point of view, it is important
from Hong Kong's point of view.
Details of the
claim can be found in paragraph 5 of Wallace's letter
to Mussett (War Office) of 12th November, 1948
(55136/190/48), copies of which were sent to Wass.
It is of course for the War Office to settle this
claim and we appreciate that there may be difficulties
[+3
involved in agreeing the actual amount due; and the question has been complicated by being tied up with claims and
counter-claims/
43
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.