CO129-622-7 Department of Commerce and Industry- reorganisation and Annual Report 4-4-1949 - 20-2-1950 — Page 39

to serve overseas at the salary scales offered.

The problem is particularly difficult in Hong

Kong, because such a man to be of any use there would have to be not only an economic expert, but

one with some experience of Eastern trading and

financial conditions.

We have been in correspondence with the Governor

of Hong Kong about this, and wha t in fact he

has in mind is that, under a proposed reorganisa-

tion of the economic departments in the Colony,

the head of the Department of Commerce and

Industry would in effect be his Economic Adviser.

He has in mind one local officer, who is at present

doing another job, who might conceivably be qualified

for the post, but neither the Governor nor we have

yet made up our minds about this. Before going

further, we wanted to have a look round to see if

15

there was anybody available of the right type,

whose name could be suggested to the Governor as

a candidate for the post. The purpose of this

letter is to ask you whether, with your wide

range of contacts in the financial and business

world, you could suggest anybody whom we might

suitably approach, or alternatively, whether you

have anybody in the Bank who might be suitable

and whom you could contemplate sparing on

and what sondry salary would ham the paid trget someone of the right calibre. secondment We have in mind somebody like

recentl

Portsmore, who has fairly paid two visits to

Hong Kong to advise on exchange control matters.

We have, of course, no idea of whether you could

spare him or whether he himself would be prepared

to consider this, but I mention his name as that

of somebody we know, and who would be broadly the

shock like to

kind of man we think we might put forward for the

Governor's consideration if he could be made

available.

Yours sincerely,

*