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FROM HONG KONG
Governor (bir orthcote)
Secretary of state for the Colonies
D. 20th July, 1941. R. 20th
1?
13.20 hrs.
No. 707 PERSONAL.
2.
157
Your telegram No. 539.
Remittances to Canada.
Discussion in the Executive Council indicates unanimous desire that I should do my utmost to secure reconsideration of your decision.
When evacuation of families was ordered in June 1940 local Government in good faith gavo every encouragement to husbands to send dependents to Canada at their own expense and it was not until receipt of your circular telogram No. 147 of 1940 that question of regulated exchange presented itself. By that time nearly all evacuateɛ now in the U.S. and Canada had left the colony. Number of women end children in Canada and the U.S. on whose account remittances are being made is 367 monthly
notut being about Hong Kong dollars 110,000.
It will no doubt be appreciated that cancellation of remittances will be most strongly resented locally which would be all the more unfortunate as I have just succeeded in caluing down, temporarily at least, agitation in respect of evacuation to Australia which was becoming serious, It will undoubtedly be alleged that
(2)- Those who followed H.M.G's wishes last year and with the full approval of the local Government sent their families to Canada are being most unfairly treated and that
(2) Principal sufferers will be those who have not the means or influence to obtain funds from outside sterling and dollar blocs e.g. Shanghai, (Unquestionably husbands in firms which have branches or agencies in Canada or the U.S. will act in this way).
I strongly urge view that the fact that Hong Kong is the only compulsorily evacuated area within the British Empire to which these peculiar currency difficulties apply itself constitutes a case for privileged treatment for evacuates from the Colony.
As regards Pensioners. Most of them are "persons already established in Canada" within the terms of your telegram No. 604 of 1940. Presumably there is no present intention to uproot such persons as this would be grave hardship.
On these grounds I earnestly request Further consideration of your decision. Should you be gnable to accede I must of course comply in which case I propose
to give instructions that dute of cancellation of remittance permitS
Previous notification of (our instructions February held out hope ofegonsideration
it lue been ins
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