32
Enclosure No. 2.
there were a few foreign women who
"arrived in Hong Kong on foreign vessels who had
"not been passed by the Consulate Authorities in
"Shanghai. They were destitute and there was no
"alternative but to provide accommodation for them
"in the Centres until they could be sent back to
"Shanghai. A few Russian men and women, deported
"from Canton and elsewhere, had also to be admitted,
"and subsequently repatriated to Shanghai.
I submit that as these people came to Hong
"Kong because of the hostilities in China, it was
"imperative to maintain them until they could be
"sent back to Shanghai. Hong Kong could not allow
"these women and one or two men to be stranded
"without means of subsistence in their midst.
"maintenance and subsequent repatriation was a proper
"charge on the funds placed at the disposal of the
"Refugees Committee, eventually to be refunded to
"Hong Kong by His Majesty's Government in London."
Their