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No.1/20/39.

Crown Advocate's Office,

2, Peking Road, Shanghai.

31st March, 1939.

24

Sir,

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No.2 (1/92D/1939) of the 8th March, to which I

have now had the opportunity of giving due consideration,

after discussing the same with His Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghai, and to express the view that the Municipal Council of the British Concession at Shameen would appear

to be within its rights in refusing to comply with the

"instructions" issued by His Majesty's Consul-General,

inasmuch as the issuing of these instructions would seem

to be outside the scope of the authority conferred upon

him by the Shameen Land Regulations, 1908, as amended by

King's Regulations, No.37 of 1913, No.6 of 1925 and No.1 of

1938.

2. Whether or not it is desirable to afford His

Majesty's Consul-General the power of making emergency

regulations, in view of the fact that the political sit-

uation at Canton would appear to have become somewhat eas-

ier, is not for me to say, but I would suggest that, if it

is desired that some authority should have this power, it

should be conferred in the same manner as was adopted in the case of the Tientsin Municipal (Amendment) Regulations,

1929, (K.R.R. No.4 of 1929), and I enclose draft King's

Regulations drawn up on these lines.

His Excellency

Sir Archibald Clark Kerr, K.C.M.G.,

His Majesty's Ambassador,

British Embassy,

Shanghai.

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