4
10. 10. ko
sentar 11. To N.K.
request FO.M.(Mindate
Bennett.
Tel. 563 Sewer-
To Orahley blarke (w/c 10)
Yo Major Steel (w/c 8010)
somp secret 1470u
comps secret 16.10.
To Sterndale Bennett (w/c 11) compo secret. 14.1000
15. M.K.
Tel. 641
15.10.40
It will probably be convenient if this minute expands the details given in the telegram at 15.
The first four clauses of the Bill cover the title, interpretation, the appointment of officers, and the establishment of depots. They are apparently routine, and depots, a new point, are discussed below.
Clauses 5 and 6 are adapted from Sections 2 and 3 of the 1934 Immigration Ordinance. The telegram says that the clauses are made applicable to all classes of vessels not having man-of-war status. In fact Sections 2 and 3 of the 1934 Ordinance had a similar application.
Clauses 7 and 8 are new and provide for the transfer of arrivals to depots if so ordered, and the closure of the Northern frontier to entry except at authorised places. This is an integral part of the scheme however impracticable the closing of the Northern frontier may be in practice. It is not clear from the legislation whether the depots are intended to be another 'Ellis Island or confined to the temporary refugee camps recommended in the Excess Population Reduction Committee's Report.- probably a mixture of both. An Ellis Island in Hong Kong would be a new departure, but the principle of refugee camps has been well established in the unhappy events of the past two or three years.
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Clauses 9 11 are adapted from Sections 7 of the 1934 Ordinance. As they repeat the sections of the earlier Ordinance they will explicitly exclude persons of Chinese race from the requirement of having a passport, although presumably the similar exclusion of Chinese from the necessity to have some other valid travel document no longer applies.
Clause 12 enables the Immigration Officer to issue entry permits, frontier passes, and residence certificates on payment of the scheduled fees, and requires him, subject to appeal, to refuse them in nine classes who under the 1934 Ordinance could be refused permission to land by the police.
Clauses 13, 14 and 15 appear the most important of the Bill since they provide the permissive power to attach conditions to landings of through passengers or persons without passports etc.
1
Clause 16