MR.
FORREST
THE CHINA MAIL, MARCH 25, 1941.
REPLIES
Strong Criticism Of Attitude Of Treasury
Department "In Effect
Sabotaged"
MR. R. A. D. FORREST, THE IMMIGRA- TION OFFICER, GAVE EVIDENCE THIS MORN- ING WHEN THE SITTINGS OF THE COMMIS- SION ENQUIRING INTO THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE DEPARTMENT WERE RESUM- ED.
Mr. Forrest complained of lack of co- operation by certain Government officials, outlined the difficulties with which his De- partment was faced and alleged "lack of a sense of proportion or imagination in finan- cial control.
"So it is that he admits ignor-
At the outset, Mr. Forrest said: "I wish to call attention to one; ance to what extent our popula- of two aspects of the Middlebrook tion is migratory; of the extent to Report of August 21, 1940.
The which junk passenger traffic de- serves attention and of the num - first is of so general a nature s easily to escape the readers notice, bers to be expected to enter I refer to a certain doubtfulness | Hong Kong without documents which pervades the whole scheme; after the date of enforcement.”
Middlebrook has it is as if Mr.
Mr. Forrest said the second tea-
said: 'Here are the general lines on which you can control immi- gration, but the details you must build up as you proceed and gain experience; they cannot be set out a priori.'
LEE
ture concerned recommendations which had not been embodied in the Ordinance, the provision of a self-balancing fund for the put poses of the department and the penalising of unlawful entry
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The former recommendation, he their clients were excused
from think correctly the former sald, was definitely rejected, the personal attendance at the Immi- course, but this in turn created reasons of which he was unaware,gration Head Office, was my de-fresh embarrassments, for the This departure from the scheme, parture from recognised immigra- Treasury refused to have anything was by far the more, important of tion procedure..
to do with such cash, and its cus- the two, and a fruitful source of
tody until it could be repaid to the difficulties, “especially. of the
depositors made still more' de- wrangling over my imprest ac- count,"
Hard To Reconcile. "The failure to implement the latter recommendation," added: Mr. Forrest, "was most probably an oversight; at least it is hard to
reconcile with the facts.
Weakened Control
"It is a weakening of, control of mands on my safe space, and which I am. very conscious; the its handling in repayment, con- only justification which I can offer fused my untrained cashiers. To for that departure was the physi- make matters worse, the officers cal impossibility of dealing indi-whose duty it was to take de- vidually with the flood of appli-posits, in order to comply with cants in the office space at my injunctions to clear incoming panding the space under one roof speed, wrote receipts in such a disposal, the impossibility of ex-ships with every reasonable
ced
pass-
The point may seem, in itself.and the impossibility of effective manner as to sacrifice accuracy to unimportant but it had the effect extent without further experien-show that deposit paying
ly decentralising to any greater | quickness; even so, observations of making the troublesome de-
administrative. posit system almost unavoidable
assistance, engers take twelve times as long which was not furnished me unto deal with as those already in and I shall explain in detail later til long after the necessity of this how that system, combined with
pussession of our documents; and inquiry was already apparent. the inelastic methods of the
it needs little arithmetic to "It shows. I think, a
see Treasury, was the chief cause of lack of appreciation of the main,
curious what this means in the case of a such financial confusion as came objects of our legislation that so whom 95 per cent, enter on these shipload of 800 passengers of about."
Mr. Forrest said the only prac- this loosening of control, I have on
far from criticism being based on terms, tical method of dealing with pas-the contrary been blamed for not sengers who arrived without the making application for documents necessary permit was to release even easier and even more a mat-
I had failed to foresee the dif- them after taking such securities ter of course by distributing the ficulty that my officers might take as they could give for their even-application forms in any quantity other than Hong Kong currency: tual compliance with the law.
to all comers and by accepting ap- just as anyone might fail to forsee Prior to the opening of the Implications more freely by post. that with a fully equipped branch migration Office he caused notif- "The answer is." said Mr. For-office in operation in Macau, and lar press to inform intending tra- cause, in addition to the objection other ports, the bulk of passeng- cations to appear in the vernacu- rest, "in place at this point, be- application agencies at work vellers of the necessity of prov-on the grounds of loss of control, ers would continue, without per- iding themselves with travel docu- It was necessary to prevent, as ceptible improvement,
Stricter Rules
to
intended
in
come
re-
1 at once
ments and of the method of mak- far as possible, the further growth in without any attempt to com- ing application for them.
of the agency system it being, 1ply with the requirements of the "Applicants came in such num-think, a legitimate inference that. Ordinance in their port of em- bers as to make the interior of if even recognised agencies who barkation, although the verna- the Department a perfect Babel," had something to lose indulged in cular press throughout China, and defy any attempt to maintain or- said Mr. Forrest, and almost to the malpractices proved, even shipping agents everywhere, had
worse was to be expected from knowledge of our while the impatient mob outside whatever and of whose existence made proposals for stricter rules der or to organise our methods; those over which I had no control strictions on entry. the doors was of such a demon- I might not even be aware. To regarding embarkation our that it was necessary to pro- implement this policy I instructed sengers for this port; and in the vide for a permanent police guard my staff that nobody be allowed meantime stopped acceptance of and on more than one occasion toto obtain more than five applica-any but H.K, currency, and en obtain the services of the Emer- tion forms or submit more than deavoured to avoid the handling gency Unit in addition."
five at one time."
No Experience
To meet
Security Deposits
of
pas-
of cash by my outdoor staff. One shipping company cooperated to the extent of itself taking the
the unexpected de-
Dealing with the taking of se- cash from its passengers and is- secured passenger suing to each mand for documents,
eurity deposits from incoming pas- said Mr.
a transferable deposit receipt, Forrest, it was necessary "again purpose was to provide for
sengers, Mr. Forrest said their
against which my officer issued and again to increase the staff,
the
his official receipt in the and constant increase
difficult cases of entrants arriving in staff meant, on
without the requisite documents, the one hand, con- though otherwise admissible. stantly increasing demands for
ed in his duties.
name
of the passenger; the company's receipts were then negotiated furniture and every conceivable against it, it is clumsy and waste- cheque for
"As a system it has everything with the shipping company for a the total amount; means was utilised to supply the ful of time, adding an extra rou-other companies declined to have needs of the office; hand as no one with any exper-and adjudication on
on the other tine to the procedure of receiving anything to do with such mea- ience of such work was
an applica-sures, and to effect the same.ob found,
to be tion for a permit; it slows down ject in their case I granted to a every addition to the examination at the stage at which money-changer the privilege of staff, from the grade of coolle upwards, had to be train-with responsibility of safe, cus- each ship to be examined, there office it should be quickest; it encumbers sending a representative on board
Mr. Forrest referred to the ap-
tody of large amounts of cash of to exchange. any foreign curren a large number of officers whose cies and to take any amounts ten- pointment of Mr. J. H. B. Lee as prime function is not the handling dered in H.K: currency, giving to Deputy Immigration Officer, and of cash at all to his absence owing to Volun-
my officer a cheque equal to the "It is not surprising, therefore, total, amount of deposit i rem teer duties and later being requir-that the wholesale, use of this ex- ceipts issued to passengers ed to act as Private Secretary to pedient added enormously to the These matters are- mentionw His Excellency the Governor and work and complexity of the Im-ed here, because I am aware pointed out that during that migration Office...
that criticism has been directed. period practically all the work of "Shroffs secured and trained in against my department in regard instruction of the raw staff fell on handling cash were still not avail- to the exchange rated on which the Immigration Officer as the only able, though remaining officer, apart from the daily; and the crowds became even these rates are, to say the least of for almost the money changer works, That clerical staff with even the re- more clamorous
difficult it, remunerative, was brought to` motest acquaintance with Gov-cases kept cropping up, such as my notice; but I declined to ex- ernment methods. "I was, more- cases of lost deposit receipts
tend the sphere of my responsi- over, at that same time, as I have persons insisted they were author- bility to the extent of protection said, acting also as Post Master ised to collect on behalf of deposi- of incoming passengers from the General, a post of which I was not tors and who for no apparent rea- indirect consequences of their own finally relieved until after Decem-son- or for too good a reason re- failure to comply with the law. ber 18, 1940, The obvious· refused to understand my hesitation medy for this state of affairs was to pay them; cases of agencies and decentralisation with a view to lodging houses which induced lessening the overcrowding and ignorant persons to entrust them. overwork in the head office and with the receipts and then, held 'this was accordingly tried,"
The Mystery
them to ransom,
asked
.
Expected Results
expand into a system; but, they.
Imprest Account
vicious deposit system was to Another consequence of the bring to light the pitiful in adequacy of the imprest account of $2,000 with which I was furnished at the outset. The sub- sequent history of this imprest is revealed in the following minutes
Oh 10.11.40 I minuted to Finë
Despite advertisement in the All the above complications are Chinese press informing the pub-the direct and the expected re- lic that facilities for obtaining ap-sults of allowing a concession to from C.S.O. files, plication forms and submitting ap-were not unfortunately the whole ancial Secretary in C.S.O. 2881/40 plication existed at certain ad- dresses, applicants continued to story of the difficulties to which asking for an imprest of $2,000: Cowd at the Head Office, while the system gave rise. The insuf, the warrant was signed on 19.11.10. seven days after the the branch offices were almost de-accepting in good faith forged enforcement of the immigration
ficiency of shroffs led to officers On 22.1.41 — notes as security from passengers; control-Accountant General ap The mystery of the readiness of the same officers reached the of-plied on my behalf for a further the public to avail themselves on fice late in the evening in charge Imprest of $10,000; this warrant payment of the services of the in-ofvery large quantities-some- was signed the same day: (C,S,Q. stitutions under the various names times as much as $25,000 161/40) óf-application agencies, translation cash, there being no one except On 9,2.41-I wrote very urgently bureaux and so on, was solved the Immigration Officer himself and strongly to Colonial Secretar
serted,
LAURENCE OLIVIER JOAN FONTAINE later when it was discovered that to take it into safe custody, nor stating that the $22,000 then
SER:#"PERATIESAJMANSON - BERG ALFRED HITCHODOK
these agencies were helping ap- any place in which the money, at available was utterly insufficient, plicants in ways which the fram- that time of night could be placed and asking that it be increased to ers of the law assuredly did not except the office strong-room; pas $40,000 for ps^ long as the deposit expect, or at least did not wish; sengers arrived from Shanghai, system existed; a minute" of "Acct," they secured priority of treatment and elsewhere with no Hong Kong General of 14 2.41 explains the by bribing the Immigration Office currency, so that inadquately discrepancy in the figures, appar staff and sold fictitious evidence of trained officers were Jeft in the ontly satisiled with my exblange, untrue statements to whoever paid middle of the harbour faced with tion that $10,000 was insufficient, their price,
the difficult duty of decid he had on his own responsibility. Mr. Forrest said that the con- ing whether to accept for arranged for its increase cession made to recommised appil-eign currencies on to wait $22,000. He agrees in the same, cation agencies; Guilds and socle for some twelve or more hours minute that the $40,000 asked for ties recommended by the Secres later to have the foreign curren- is not excessive, There follows: tariat for Chinese Affairs, that cles... exchanged. They y chose.-1. (continued an Par0).