CO129-622-7 Department of Commerce and Industry- reorganisation and Annual Report 4-4-1949 - 20-2-1950 — Page 44

Dear Poynton,

349 10

56

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONG KONG.

22nd November, 1949.

Economic Secretary.

(9) (Thank you for your letter No.15314/66/49 of 5th November.

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This

is a matter to which I have given considerable thought from time to time, especially since the departure of Himsworth. With Himsworth as Superintendent Imports and Exports Department - now renamed Department of Commerce and Industry, which is more in line with its functions, we did in fact have an Economic Secretary. And on balance I would prefer that the head of this department should be the economic adviser to Government, rather than having a full-blown Economic Secretary. This is the line taken in the memorandum (copy attached) by Himsworth on the reorganisation of the Imports and Exports Department. I am a bit shy of an Economic Secretary as such, unless he were a really first class man, and were such a man available we should probably have to pay him a salary that would be quite out of line with the salaries of comparable officers here.

The

If you agree, or do not disagree with me so far, then the thing is to find a successor to Himsworth as Director of Commerce and Industry. only senior officer to fill the bill is W. M. Thomson. He is admirably qualified for the job; he knows Hong Kong, has a flair for, and much experience in, economic and trade matters; but the snag is that there are all sorts of rumours about him, which make him suspect to the business community and to a number of heads of departments as well. At the moment he is doing a defence/supplies job which will occupy him for a few months more. He may during these months live down his reputation, but even so I should feel somewhat nervous about putting him in charge of a department where opportunities for dishonesty are considerable. One way of making use of his talents as economic adviser whilst at the same time removing him to some extent from the possibilities of temptation, would be to create a new post of Deputy Secretary (Economics) parallel to the Deputy Secretary (Finance), both being under the Financial Secretary. This would however be wasteful of manpower since instead of having one senior officer as Director of Commerce and Industry, part of whose duties would be to function as economic adviser, we should have two senior officers, one Director of Commerce and Industry and one Deputy Secretary (Economics).

another job on his completing his defence assignment.

I'll let you know what develops when Thomson has to be found

And if you have any

Yours sincerely,

bright ideas please let me know.

Sir Hilton Poynton, K.C.M.G.,

Colonial Office,

LONDON.

Wkhandam