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No.178.

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Government House,.

Hong Kong,

11th March, 1939.

138

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Sir,

I have the honour to refer to my despatch

No.117 of 22nd February, 1939, regarding an application

from the Dairen Kisen Kaisha for clearance of certain

vessels from Hong Kong and to forward for your

information copies of further communications from the

Chinese Government and from the local solicitors acting

on their behalf requesting that this Government should

take active steps to prevent the removal of these

vessels from Hong Kong waters.

2. I am informed by my legal advisers that in the

absence of any direct evidence that the master intends

to remove one of these vessels it is unlikely that the

Court will implement its present order by ordering the

removal of any part of the machinery of the ship in

question and that in any event such implementation

would only be on the application of a party to the

civil proceedings and not on an application of this

Government.

3.

I am further advised that the only course

open to the Hong Kong Police is to keep a careful watch

and, if they have reason to believe that sections 22(3)

or 22 (6) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance

(Ordinance No.10 of 1899) have been infringed, to arrest

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

MALCOLM MACDONALD, M.P.,

etc.,

etc., etc.

the

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