SECRET AND PERSONAL
how these develop. It is an interesting line of thought that a registration fee might be substituted for a school fee as such. It is not clear from what you say whether the registration fee would be a once-and-for-all payment on enrolment for primary education or payable on transfer from one school to another or an annual payment. There is perhaps a danger that the last of these possibilities would be seized upon by critics and characterized as a subterfuge for introducing free primary education in name only.
4.
We were naturally very please to receive your telegram no. 242 telling us of your intentions (subject to developments) to release the remaining detainees during the course of the next few weeks, and as I now write there is of course only one detainee left who is due for release in a few days. It will be of considerable help to us here and, provided these thugs now behave themselves, I would hope that in Hong Kong it will be seen as one more indication of a return to "normality".
5.
Since Arthur's letter of 19 February, the tunnel affair has been brought to a successful conclusion, subject to the working out of final details. Te were not without our qualms about the terms eventually used to define the political circumstances in which shareholders' guarantees would be waived. But we have always envisaged that the letter of intent between Lloyds Bank and the Company (and any other document dealing with this question of political risks) woul be shielded from public disclosure. I trust that this will be the case.
6.
We have been far from inactive on the question of financing the Kai Tak extension, but I am afraid I must ask you to wait a little longer before we can tell you anything definite.
Looking forward
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SECRET AND PERSONAL
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(J. 0. Moreton)
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