HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
MINUTES.
231
The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 3rd August, 1949, were confirmed.
PAPERS.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of His Excellency the Governor, laid upon the table the following papers :-
Annual Report of the Director of Supplies, Trade and Industry
for the year 1948-49.
Annual Report of the Government Statistician for the year
1948-49.
QUESTIONS.
HON, CHAU TSUN-NIN asked the following questions:-
In view of the large increase in population and in view of the world-wide political and economic unrest, will Government state:-
1.
2.
What steps have been taken or will be taken to ensure that a sufficient supply of essential foodstuff will be available in case of emergencies?
Whether any reserve of essential foodstuff is being made immediately available to meet any possible contingency?
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY replied as follows:-
Government is well aware of the need at the present time to ensure the maintenance of adequate supplies of essential foodstuffs. The necessary arrangements to this end are being made as a matter of urgency and a senior officer has recently been appointed to take charge of these arrangements. The Honourable Member will appreciate that in the present circumstances, it is not advisable to publish detailed information on this matter.
EXPULSION OF UNDESIRABLES BILL, 1949.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the First reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to control the population of the Colony by providing for the expulsion of undesirables therefrom as occasion may require. He said Sir, it has been the experience of this Colony at many periods of its history that where conditions of war or economic or political stress prevail in China, reaction is strongly felt in this Colony and, Sir, it is felt, and not the least, by the fact that a large influx of persons from China occurs-persons who resort to this Colony as to a haven. This tendency has probably never been more marked than at the present time when the situation has arisen in which the Colony's actual capacity to absorb recruits to its population is not only seriously overtaxed, but, in fact, over-reached.
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