CONFIDENTIAL.
My Lord,
53668/44
3
2.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HỒNG KÔNG,
16th October, 1941.
Separately
In accordance with the directions contained in Mr. Churchill's Circular despatch of 19th October, 1922, and the Duke of Devonshire's Confidential Circular (2) despatch of 16th February, 1923, I have the honour to transmit herewith fifteen copies of the Abbreviated Annual Report of the Director of Medical Services for 1940, for the use of the Colonial Advisory Medical and Sanitary Committee.
2.
Population.
With the collapse of France in the early summer of 1940 and the more imminent threat of war in the Pacific, the possibility of Hong Kong being attacked at any moment led to à serious endeavour to evacuate those unlikely to contribute to the defence of the Colony to Australia (via Manila), and elsewhere. This resulted in an actual fall in the population figure as compared with the peak reached early in July, 1939, to about 1,800,000 in June, 1940; the latter figure including approximately 750,000 war refugees.
In spite of this fall in the number of lives at risk and 1,600 or so fewer births, the number of deaths reached the highest ever recorded in the Colony, namely, 61,010; that is to say, 12,727 more than in 1939.
3.
Refugee problems.
The Medical Department continued to be responsible for the care of destitute refugees and the increasing number of the Hong Kong poor who were unable to cope with the steadily rising prices following the partial blockade exercised by the Japanese and the shortage of shipping and high freights.
With an extension of military activities by the Japanese to other ports of Kwangtung the repatriation of refugees from the affected areas became increasingly difficult. In spite of that, about 40,000 were encouraged to leave the Colony in the latter half of the year. The Government refugee camps continued to give shelter to nearly 12,000 for most of the year.
4.
Communicable diseases.
Mass vaccination of over 24 million persons (including arrivals by sea who number over 3 million in years of peace) had the effect of limiting the number of cases of smallpox to 335 cases.
The same degree of success was not met with in the case of cholera, some 945 cases being reported during the last 4 months of the year, following a serious outbreak in a portion of Kowloon on the mainland where a very low standard
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
LORD MOYNE OF BURY ST. EDMUNDS, D.S.0.,
&c.,
&c.,
&c.