མཥ་ཞཁན
INWARD TELEGRAM.
TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES.
Typex
BY FOR REGIST
FROM HONG KONG (Sir A. Grantham)
PRIORITY
D. 10th April 1951. R. 10th
n
"
13.30 hrs.
11
APR 1951
326
? wa
No. 418
(5)
Confidential.
Begins.
Your telegram No. 429.
Netherlands Harbour Works Co. Ltà.
I understand that Lloyds will in fact issue policies covering all risks for three months at a time subject to War Cancellation Clause (Hulls) and Institute War and Strike Clauses C.L. 196B and C.L. 213 at present in force from which you will note that China is not considered as one of the Four Great Powers war between any of which will Ipso Facto terminate the insurance 48 hours from midnight of the day on which such outbreak of war occurs.
2.
This means that should China attack the Colony and none of the Four Great Powers (France, Great Britain, U.S.S.R. and the U.S.A.) come to her assistance any existing policy would remain in force.
3.
It is still possible to insure against molestation in accordance with C.L. 203 which is considered important in the event of civil unrest in the Colony.
4。
Search for alternative contractors is not likely to prove successful owing to the specialised nature of the work and the fact that the value of the contract is not sufficiently attractive. This Government is not in the position to guarantee more than a few years' work and the rest of the Far East is not likely to provide any scope for dredging plant in the foreseeable future.
5. So that urgent works to which we are committed may proceed without delay your early agreement is requested to the inclusion of a clause in the conditions of contract to the effect that the Hong Kong Government will requisition the Company's plant on the outbreak of hostilities in or around the area of Hong Kong on the same terms and conditions as H.M.G. would requisition ocean going ships of the Merchant Navy in time of war. Ends.
Telegraph Branch Note: - Message delayed through corrupt
indicators.
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