TNAG-0275-FCO40-311-Development-of-Kai-Tak-airport-at-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 19

wold

in view of the entangled question of landing rights at Hong

Kong, which the Board of Trade control at great profit to

U.K interests,

was that the Board of Trade should find the

money. This, they said, they could not do. In fact the

F.C was the only real advocate for Hong Kong in the matter,

but we could not prevail though a final negative answer was

then

never given to Hong Kong. When the e Secretary of State

(Unofficial members of the Governor's Executive at Legrelative

Comcilo was in Hong Kong in April he told the ELCO members that

it if the financial situation in 1971 justified his Government

tified his be

were prepared to look at the matter again hen.

3. It is true that the Hong Kong Government is rich and

could no doubt find the money from its reserves to pay the

the

whole cost of Kai Tak extension (the cost of which has

£6.2 millin

₤10.5 million

increased from 790m. to about 150m.). The arguments

in favour of H.M.G. helping are almost wholly political:

And the deccion

прое

a

فا

(a) Hong Kong has had virtually no assistance

HMG

from

in her post-war rehabilitation,

but has pulled herself up by her own

bootstraps.

(b) HM,G have dealt the Hong Kong Government

Longman hing

Collon listdes from ра 1 January, 1972,

several nasty blows textile quotas

Carlists

devaluation, immigration and, especially

resented in the Kai Tak context negotiation

context,

of air traffic rights which have sometimes

been very disadvantageous to Hong Kong's

ба

/own.....