PONTITATE.
CONFIDENTIAL.
COPY.
438
(For the Colonial Office only).
Paragrapha marked in red indicate those of a Confidential nature not contained in the General Report.
SINGAPORE.
CONFIDENTIAL REPORT.
NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR COMBATING VENEREAL DISEASES COMMISSION 1920.
COMMISSIONERS: Mrs. C, Neville-Rolfe, O.B.E.
Dr. R, Hallam.
The Commission arrived in Singapore on the morning of January 17th, 1921. Captain Hacker, R.A.K.C., who had been appointed as Local Secretary, met us at the Docks.
Their Excellencies, Sir Lawrence and Lady Guillemerd, were in the Federated Malay States, and did not return to Singapore until Saturday, the 22nd; we did not have an opportunity of meeting them until Monday, the 24th. In their absence Sir William Hurison, Colonial Secretary, was Acting Governor.
The programme submitted to the authorities had been modified owing to our arrival three days later than anticipated. Unfortunately the preliminary Conference had been cancelled. We found the dis- advantage of this throughout our whole stay in Singapore as it wee only on the last day that an official Conference was convened by His Excellenoy the Governor that we were able to reach many of the representative persons whose assistance and co-operation we required.
We saw Sir William Murison the afternoon of our arrival and discussed with him the programme of the Commission. He intimated that the out-of-pocket expenses of the Commission on transport, printing, hire of halla, etc., would be defrayed by the Colonial Government, and he advised us that the Principal Civil Medical Officer had only just been appointed; also that the Governor of Hong Kong had communicated with them advising that the Commission should not be received, but that His Excellency the Governor, after careful consideration, had not altered his decision to receive
The communication from Hong Kong had, however, given rise to considerable uneasiness, especially with
I informed Sir reference to the Chinese population. William Murison as to the result of our experiences in Shanghai and Hong Kong with reference to the Chinese population, and also with reference to the change in the point of view of the Hong Kong authorities after the visit of the Commission.
us.
Arrangements were made for the Educational Commissioner to see the Protector of the Chinese in order to arrange for the Commission to meet the Chinese