51193-1917-Establishment-of-a-local-Munitions-Priority-Authority — Page 2

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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, MAY 18, 1917.

2. The position is that these materials cannot be supplied, either for home use or for exportation, without a certificate from the Ministry of Munitions, and that licences for their exportation will not be granted by the War Trade. Department unless such a certificate is produced. It is, however, difficult for the Minister of Munitions in many cases to decide whether such a certificate should be granted for an order from one of His Majesty's oversea possessions without fuller knowledge than he possesses as to the urgency of the demand in the Colony or Protectorate for the material in question and the possibility of meeting the demand from other sources (e.g., from local stocks or coun- tries other than the United Kingdom, or by the use of substitutes), and he therefore wishes that a procedure should be adopted by which all such orders from Colonies and Protectorates could in the first instance be examined locally.

3. You should, therefore, as soon as possible appoint a Committee, or (if the number of such orders is likely to be inconsiderable or other difficulties exist) some officer, to whom all persons having orders for the materials in question to be supplied from the United Kingdom would in the first instance make application. The application would be made on a standard form, which is being prepared, and copies of which will be for- warded as soon as possible. The Committee or officer would examine the application from the points of view mentioned in the preceding paragraph and would furnish their advice by an endorsement upon the form of application. The form would then be returned to the applicant, who would forward it to the intending supplier of the material in the United Kingdom, and the supplier would apply for the necessary certificate to the Ministry of Munitions, with whom the decision would rest. In the event of any applica- tion being received by the Ministry of Munitions unaccompanied by the recommendation of the local authority, the applicant would be informed that no action would be taken until he had obtained the recommendation of that authority.

4. In the event of a Committee, not an individual officer, being appointed it would be advisable that it should contain representatives of the trading community, and it would also be advantageous if it contained one or more of the engineering officers of your Government.

5. This procedure would not apply to materials actually required by Colonial Govern- ments. In such cases the Crown Agents for the Colonies would support the application to the Ministry of Munitions and no recommendation from the local authority would be required.

6. Detailed memoranda explaining the principles on which applications should-be dealt with by the local authority are in course of preparation, as well as a list specifying the exact materials to which the arrangements will apply.

7. I shall be glad if you will inform me by telegraph what authority you have appointed for this purpose, in order that the necessary announcement may be made in this country, and if you will at the same time state how many copies of the form of application referred to in paragraph 3 and the memoranda mentioned in paragraph 6 should be supplied for the use of that authority.

I have, &c.,

WALTER H. LONG,

Telegram from the Governor, Hongkong, to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated 3rd April, 1917.

Your circular despatch of 25th January. Director of Public Works appointed Muni- tions Priority Authority.