By George MacManus
MRS. JIGGS-YOU MAY AS WELL GO TO THE OPERA-AS. YOLID INTENDED-IT ISN'T SERIOUS- HE JUST HAS TO REMAIN IN BED-I'LL HAVE DOCTOR MIKE ROBE COME OVER HE CAN RELIEVE ME
*ARE. You SURE?
PRESIDENT LINER INCIDENT RAISED AT INQUIRY SESSION
(Continued from Page 6.) No. 1 in the enquiry departiment," Mr. Forrest: "You took it for that after ofte grunted then, month the Department was pro- perly established with a proper 112 answer inquiry department phones?" Yes.
Mr. Forrest: "Do you
happen house
to know how long your boy had made his application," Two days.
Mr. Forrest: "And do you re- gard two days as sufficient time?" that she Mrs. Campbell said had no idea how the department worked but knew that her bay had spent whole day outside the office waiting for the permit. Mr. Forrest then asked witness the whether she had ever seen queues at the Immigration Office and whether she did not know it was likely to cause delay,
that
uway
The Chairman remarked Mr Forrest was steering from the real object of the com- plaint, which was incivility.
re-
one
Mr. Forrest said he hud ceived many phone calls. on in-
in dividual cases and not kingle instance was there ever a complaint of incivility.
Mr. Keswick's Complaint
The Chairman then produced a letter written by the Chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Cour
J. cil, Mr. Keswick, to Mr. Paterson, on the unfortunate im- pression he received on the uc- casion of his visit to Hong Kong Monroe" in in the "President February, of the conduct of Im- In inigration Officers on board, his letter, Mr. Keswick stated that in Chinese passengers were told Shanghai that they did not re- quire transit visas on arrival at Hong Kong. However, when these Chinese passengers arrived drafts of they were asked for $100 with refusals to receive cash instead, and Mr. Keswick him- self had to give several personal not guarantees as draíts be arranged.
could
into
at
,two at least after January 14.tinued until we decided to allow
when it was actually put operation (The work was especial. ly pressing with the approach of the Chinese New Year); and (2) To preserve order among The dense crowds which were excep- tionally noisy.
Totally Inadequate
"The space and furniture allot- ted to us were totally inadequate and the staff was far too small to enable the Immigration Officer to carry on his gigantic task with efficiency.
For weeks we
were
packed together like sardines. The Commission visited the Immigra- tion Office on
March 12, and it you was my privilege to show about. The Commission saw the small space allotted to us before and after the passports and ac- counts departments and the security deposit refunding section were moved from Marina House to the Central Branch in Queen's Building. In the 1.0.'s "private office," 19ft. by 24ft., on many days prior to your visit, as many as 32 persons could be found herded together working. time, the wash room attached to the 10.'s office, was sometimes used as working space.
it
Fimited number
time behind the counter lo obtain their permits or their deposit refunds, after which they left by the back door. We had far too little furni- Lure. We had to rent some and we had to borrow some. For days wicker two We used
or three stools which we borrowed from the photographer. For days, was impossible for some of the staff to work and for well over three weeks I myself did not have a chair because not enough desks or chairs were provided. During the days of temporary furniture, when working pressure was at its height, we were provided with eight black dining room tables, but even these were better than noth- ing.
Ration Issues
"We did not have enough sta- tionery or foolscap books and con- the issue of siderable delays in permits were occasioned when we were not supplied with the neces- sary permit forms and residence On several OC- certificates.
of
casions At the same
we almost ran out stock and, as a result, we had to ration our issue. I know the Immi- gration Officer made repeated re- The Commission saw what, un- quests for fresh supplies and it til March 24, were the permit- was some days before he received reference to the writing and permit-signing de- them. With
question of shroffs, I am certain partments. This space was form-
extra we a couple of erly divided into two rooms, the that, had
have been passports department and the per- shroffs, the work of the Immi- mit-writing J.
department. The gration Office would space occupied by the latter de-accelerated considerably.
three "We ran out of security deposit partment until just about
books just before the weeks before your visit measured receipt 19ft. by 12ft 4in, and in it at one Chinese New Year and, although time we had as many as 39 peo- we made frantic appeals for new. ple working around two desks supplies, none were forthcoming. The situation became so serious and two dining tables. This was less than 6 sq. ft. per person. Even indeed that, on the eve of Chin- up to March 24, the total space ese New Year's Day, the Immi- for the permit-writing, permit-gration Officer sent me out to try get some non-Government signing, issuing and shroffs' de- and
I went print some. some printers to partments, accommodating 60 persons, is but 54ft. by 19ft! from printer to printer but none The danger to the health of the would agree to undertake the job. were off for staff was, to say the least, serious because their staffs
I asked for it was quite impossible to work the Chinese New Year.
China and at the same time to keep the the Editor of the 'South
for .Post'
nid but surging crowds orderly so that Morning some reasonable system of deal- his reply was virtually the same. ing with applicants could be car-Finally the Central News Agency ried out. The conditions under manager very kindly agreed to his mimeograph five which we worked, create dis-print on satisfaction and call for condem-hundred receipt forms. These were delivered after the Immigration nation:
Officer had written an official let- ter to the Central News Agency appealing to them for their co- operation.
the
Mr. Keswick stated that behaviour of the passport clerk reflected badly on British prestige and Chinese before Americans
a
who were witnesses.
The Chairman also recalled
exchanged number of telegrams
of between II. E. the Governor Hong Kong, the British Ambas- sador in Shanghai, the Chinese Foreign Office and the Chungking Agent, stressing the necessity of sympathetic Chinese.
Mr. Forrest remarked
knew Mr. Keswick, if he name, did not know his official position which made it doubtful whether Mr. Keswick did not gather his information about him on board..
Many Difficulties.
Nerve-Wracking
never contem-
"Conditions up to even a few weeks ago bordered on chaos but such big crowds and such a de- Receipt Books mand for permits and residence the certificates were treatment to
"Speaking of security deposit plated. The noise was at times receipt books, I may mention that, that deafening
and nerve-wracking, on March 11, AIO. Taylor ap
onės his Conditions were indescribable and plied for some, new blue
because the yellow ones had been almost unbearable,
"I estimate that the space al-returned owing to the fact that. lotted to the general public was their numbering was similar to persons the blue ones. Up to March 25, sufficient for about 60 only, but on occasions we had, I no now supplies had been provid. am sure, at least three times thated though urgently needed,
"On Chinese New Year's Day number, with scores and scores of others pressing in from the and on several subsequent Sun- Mr. Walter Hanming Chen. As-Istreet and with many others stand. days, it was found that we had sistant Immigration Officer, saiding in a queue on both sides of not: been provided with sufficient
"I have been Assistant Immi- the door.
The crowds were so funds to meet deposit refund pay-
was ments, 'Scores and scores of people. gration Officer since: January 2. dense that the iron grille
I did not realise, until I had pushed down and the lock of the came and demanded refunds, and actually joined the service and front door. broken. The few in desperation, the Immigration taken up duty, the Importance of policemen who were posted to Officer finally signed official che the Immigration Officer's task, duty outside. were not enough to ques but we had the greatest dif but, when I joined him, I immedi- tope with them and the Emer ficulty in getting them cashed on ately found that, he was faced gency Unit had to be called out account of the holidays: The Gen+ with difficulties of many kinds, on a number of occasions by the eral Agent assisted us on principal among which were (1) Immigration Officer. People forced one occasion. On the other
to per To cope with the pressing work, their way behind the counter occasions, I managed for I hold the view that enforce and, often, into the Immigration suade the money-changer to ment of the Ordinance for Immi- Oficer's private office,. They took advance, us the maney on the unt gration Control was somewhat up space set aside for the staff derstanding that he could col premature and should have been and they blocked the passage lect cash on the following: morn
(Continued on Paga. 13) postponed for an extra month or way. This state of affairs con-
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