KE. SECRET (3).
My Lord,
REGI
144
K
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HONG KONG,
8th July, 1941.
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Complicate despatch & rigl enclosures
registered
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12/131979/10/10
I have the honour to refer to telegraphic correspondence ending with Your Lordship's secret cypher telegram No.20 of 10th January, 1941, on the subject of the expenses of the evacuation of women and children from Hong Kong and to forward herewith a schedule of the expenditure in connection with the evacuation which has been met from the funds of the Colony up to 31st March, 1941, the end of the financial year 1940-41.
2.
The total amount so met from the funds of the Colony up to 31st March, 1941, was $121,727.39, of which sum $99,835.59 represents the cost of passages to Manila for part of the main body of evacuees and the cost of passages to Australia for those evacuees who were unable owing to illness or other causes to proceed to Manila with the main body at the beginning of July, 1940.
3. Of the remaining expenditure administrative charges total $19,330.61, of which $14,816.54 were incurred locally in Hong Kong and $4,514.07 in Manila. The Hong Kong charges cover salaries for additional staff, telephones, printing, assembly station expenses, bedding, freight on bedding and the expenses of Dean J.L. Wilson who travelled with the evacuees to Manila and Australia, while the Manila charges cover the general expenses of the liaison officer, Mr. A.J.C. Taylor, Acting Accountant, Treasury, who accompanied the main body of the evacuees to Manila and supervised all matters in connection with the stay of the evacuees in the Philippines and their transhipment to Australia.
4. Medical expenses incurred in Manila and Australia to the extent of $2,561.19 have been refunded locally to husbands on the recommendation of the Evacuation Expenses Committee. This Committee is the "select committee" referred to in my telegram No.551 of 5th September, 1940, and the "means test committee" referred to in my 40 telegram No.600 of 26th September, 1940; its function is to deal
with all applications for assistance in respect of maintenance and medical expenses.
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5. I have therefore to request that, in accordance with the arrangements made in the telegraphic correspondence quoted in paragraph 1 above, Your Lordship will cause the sterling equivalent of $121,727.39 to be recovered from His Majesty's Treasury and credited to the account of the Hong Kong Government with the Crown Agents for the Colonies.
6. This amount does not, of course, represent the full cost of the evacuation. No debits have been received here in respect of one of the ships employed in the evacuation to Manila and in respect of the ships used for the transportation of the evacuees from Manila to Australia. It is presumed that these charges have been met direct by His Majesty's Government.
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE.
بھیجو
LORD MOYNE OF BURY ST. EDMUNDS, D.S.O.,
&C.,
&C.,
&c.
im