3
(31 on the 1938 papers)
(33 on the 1938 papers)
At (28) on the 1938 file the Governor forwarded
a list of refugees of non-British nationality who
were being maintained in the Colony, and stated
that the Consul-General at Shanghai had queried
certain expenditure, amounting to $3,230.50, which
had been incurred in connection with these people.
The Governor asked to be informed whether these
charges were to be borne by the Hong Kong Govt.
or by H.M.G.
in
The F.O. were then asked to consider whether
the cost of the cases in question might not be
accepted as a charge upon the funds of H.M.G.
view of the valuable free services the Hong Kong
Govt. had already rendered, and of the continuing
strain upon the Colony's revenues on account of
refugees generally.
The F.0. answer was that presumably these
refugees were accepted by the Refugee Committee at
Hong Kong in the knowledge that they were not
British subjects, and that in these circumstances the expenditure could not properly be accepted as a
charge on the Vote for Diplomatic and Consular
Services.
The matter was then taken up S.0. with the
Treasury. It was pointed out that Hong Kong had
been facing a difficult situation for some long
time, and had had to bear a considerable burden
of expense, and that we would therefore very much regret having to deny liability for these particular
refugees in the name of H.M.G. The Treasury were
asked whether, failing the acceptance of this
charge on the Vote for Diplomatic and Consular
Services, it could be borne on sub-head F (Minor
Colonial Services) of the Colonial and Middle
Eastern