TNAG-0069-FCO40-105-Disturbances-in-Hong-Kong-propaganda-1967 — Page 59

Beaufort House 2 Gravel Lane London E1 temporary address

PO

Telephone Avenue 8000

Telegrams Peninsular London Telex

Cables Peninsular London E1

Telex number 28624

P&O Lines Passenger Services Limited

I JA Cochlin Esq Board of Trade

1 Victoria Street LONDON SW1

date

10 October 1967

ref

in any reply please quote our reference

Dear My Cochlin

refer to Mr J R Steele's letter reference FSR.714 G of 5 October to in Stirling, about which I spoke to you yesterday.

This

We have no plans at present to reduce the length of stay of our passenger ships in Hong Kong next year, although if conditions deteriorate sufficiently we would clearly have to give consideration to doing so in the interest of the safety of our passengers. If there are reports of this sort sirculating in Hong Kong, then they must be based on surmise. would not perhaps be unnatural, since under conditions such as have pre- vailed in Hong Kong recently, it would not have been surprising if we, together with other operators, had reviewed our passenger ship programmes. On the other hand, it is possible that other circumstances may have given rise to these reports. For example the two passenger ships which are regularly engaged in the trade between Europe and the Far East, "CATHAY" and "CHITRAL", are now taking longer to make their voyages than previously owing to the closure of the Suez Canal, with the result that they cannot now make as many calls at Hong Kong in the course of a year as they would have under normal circumstances. Instead of the eight voyages a year they would have made, on which they would have called at Hong Kong outwardbound and homewardbound, they will now only complete about seven voyages and will be terminating at Hong Kong instead of Japan, with the result that they will

However, their only be making one call there on each voyage instead of two. calls will be for periods of four or five days instead of two calls of two days each, so that the time spent in Hong Kong will be about the same.

which We have also had to cancel one call at Hong Kong by our "IBERIA",

This is also should have been there from 29 February to 2 March 1968. the result of the closure of the Suez Canal, since the diversion via the Cape does not leave the ship time to go up to Hong Kong on her way from Australia to U.K.

These alterations to our passenger ship programmes are therefore all, as you will realise, the result of the Middle East situation and not of the situation in Hong Kong.

Yours sincerely

MANAGING DIRECTOR,

Mlaun

O LINES PASSENGER SERVICES LIMITED

The Contract of Carriage and all ancillary contracts or services relating thereto between the Shipowner and the Passenger and anyone travelling with or in the care of the Passsenger are subject to the terms and conditions contained in the Shipowner's Passage Tickets for the voyage or cruise in question and these terms and conditions may be obtained upon application to the Shipowner. The Shipowner has the right to charge the passage money according to the fares in force 28 days before day of sailing.