Your ref: HKK 21/2
CONFIDENTIAL
Our ref: CR 14/5061/70
EIVED IN
R
***:51
COLONIAL SECRETARIAT,
HONG KONG,
(64)
men te woon zama, m
Dem Michael,
2 5SEP 1972
NKK21/2
16th September 1972
LAST
A£F.
66)
I understand that Mr Royle has been enquiring about how things stand on the establishment of a Hong Kong Shipping Registry in view of Y.K. Pao's visit to the Prime Minister on 7th June.
The answer is that we are trying to take things here as far as we can. The Marine Department has now held comprehensive discussions with the main Hong Kong shipping bodies and they support the proposal for a separate register and, in particular, a more liberal approach to officer manning. But it has lately been made very clear to us from a meeting Jones and Fletcher (Director of Marine) had with Goodfellow when he was here recently that the real difficulty in making progress is not going to come from this end but rather from the Shipping Division in the DTI.
Goodfellow left with us a draft note prepared in the DTI and a questionnaire which was discussed at the meeting but which Fletcher promised to answer in writing. The note itself (copy enclosed for ease of reference) starts off by saying that the Prime Minister promised Y.K. Pao to have the idea of a separate Hong Kong register examined but it then goes on to say that "although technically possible, officials consider that the potential disadvantages of implementing the idea outweigh the advantages". then explains in considerable detail why the proposal is considered disadvantageous largely I might add from the point of view of the U.K. rather than Hong Kong. Some of the arguments used are, in our view, unconvincing and Fletcher has replied in a letter to the DTI dated 11th September, a copy of which has gone to the F.C.O. He also enclosed answers to the questionnaire.
The paper
E.O. Laird, Esq., C.M.G., M.B.E., Hong Kong and Indian Ocean Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
King Charles Street,
London, S.W.1, England.
CONFIDENTIAL
j.
Aff reply seur
كسفه
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