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PERSONAL.
30
END
10th October, 1945.
Major Gen. F. W. Festing, C.B.E., D.S.O., HONG KONG.
Dear General Festing,
1.
I feel that perhaps I ought to clear up the discussion we had late last night at Government House about immigration policy. The morning ceremony had played havoc with my day, with the result that by 11 p.m I was very tired and perhaps did not make the pposition as clear as it might be.
2.
As you know, H.M.G. policy, as laid down in the directives to the C.-in-C. and to myself, is to dimit the influx of civilian population. There is already in the statute book an ordinance forbidding entry into Hong Kong without a permit or duly validated passport. That ordinance remains effective until formally repealed.
3.
Limitation of immigration (in 1941 the population of this Colony touched the 2,000,000 mark) was carried out by a staff of, I think, half a dozen European officers and about 80 subordinates.
4.
Owing to acute personnel difficulties, we cannot attempt actual or active immigration measures for the time being. We have resorted instead to bluff. If all the supplies in sight materialised (a somewhat optimistic premise), we could support a population of about 800,000. Movements of population in South China, once they start, are apt to be on a large scale; prewar it was estimated that about 500,000 people came and went each month to and from Hong Kong.
5.
'The fact that Chinese are making enquiries in Canton and in Macao shows that they are still to some extent restrained from entry by reason of the immigration regulations still on the statute book. My own estimate of the numbers who have been, as it were, bluffed out of starting for Hong Kong would be in the neighbourhood of 100,000. Were any hint given that official policy here tended to abandon limitation of immigration then I know from experience that we would be swamped in no time.
6.
Movements of a thousand or so a day, such as takes place now do not worry us over much: but when the population touches the million mark then, unless the world supply situation (and ours with it) has spectacularly improved, we shall have to limit the influx by means more effective than mere provisions on the statute book. I pray that by then we shall have staff available for the job.
I attach a copy of a message sent to Lt.-Col. Hooper in Canton and a copy of a notice which is being issued to the press.
7
Mr. Reeves from Macao is arriving at the week-end I understand, and so the Macao thing can be fixed direct with him.
8.
Yours sincerely,
sgd/- D. M. MacDougall