HONG KONG DIRECTIVE
129
FIRST DRAFT
4
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Immigration Control etc.
1.
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The traditional policy of Hong Kong has always been to encourage the free influx of Chinese and for many years the barometer of prosperity was felt to be the number of full and empty tenements in the Colony. The chief inducements were law and order, sanctity of contracts, better (if rather more expensive) social services and the asylum for political refugees ensured by the terms of the extradition treaties.
2. Apart from this there was a very large daily traffic of shoppers from a considerable area of South China, particularly in the form of "travelling traders", who each executed commissions (including to some extent banking and foreign exchange transactions) on behalf of the inhabitants of a village or a district. This contributed materially to the Colony's prosperity.
3. As the Colony has no natural resources whatever (unless a fine harbour can be so included) it must chiefly depend, as in the past, on its asset of good will. It will be the object, as soon as the military exigencies permit, to restore that free access on which the Japanese during their occupation have been forced, because of their incompetence in the matter of food supplies, to put drastic
restrictions.
4. Towards the end of 1940 the Immigration Control Ordinance (No. 32 of 1940) was passed in an attempt to stem the flood of immigrants which Japanese aggression in China had encouraged. There was some opposition to this measure on the part of the Chungking Government and in the statement of Objects and Reasons the following words were used:
"The scheme is an emergency measure to meet abnormal conditions; and it is the intention of the Government to re-examine the whole problem as soon as the situation permits".
5.
This Ordinance proved unsatisfactory in its working and its repeal was in contemplation when the Pacific War opened.
/6.
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