N° 292.
Sir,
C.O
44700
537
RESEP 15
GOVERNMENT HOUSE.
HONGKONG, 24th. August, 1915.
Referring to Circular Despatches of the 19th. April and 17th. June, I have the honour to forward copies of the passport and application form which have been adopted in this Colony.
2.
It will be noticed that the passport regula- -tions differ in certain respects from those published by the Foreign Office. In place of the statement that passes are granted it is provided that passports may be granted, in order to obviate
the necessity of granting passports to British subjects of Chinese
race who may desire to travel in China or to proceed to Australia
or some other country where the entry of Chinese is prohibited.
3.
A discretion is given to the Governor in the
matter of the verifying of the declaration made by an applicant for a passport. In a Colony such as this, where the number of the British population is small, the great majority of applicants are
personally know to one or other of the Staff of the Secretariat, and in such cases it seems unnecessary to insist upon a declaration by a person in one of the categories named in rule 4(1).
4.
It is not proposed to use form B in connection with the separate issue of passports to children under the age of sixteen years. Such passports are very rarely granted, and hitherto
HE RIGHT HONOURABLE
ANDREW BONAR LAW, M.P.,
&C..
&c.,
&c...
their
F