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confiscated by the enemy, that all its accumulated resources in London were spent on its behalf when Hong Kong itself was in the throes of the enemy occupation! And what was Hong Kong's record before during and after the War?
T
After the European War had broken out, Hong Kong proceeded to pass a special War Budget to meet "War" expenditure which, in those pre-war days, was considered a staggering amount. Further, the Colony, as its contribution to H.M. Government towards the prosecution of the War, donated the sum of 5 million dollars towards the construction and equipment of two mine- sweeping vessels, four harbour defence vessels, and two ferry tenders, and a cash gift of £100,000. When the Pacific War came, Hong Kong lads fought the enemy with great gallantry and valour, and many of them made the supreme sacrifice. the War, the Colony concentrated its effort on rehabilitation.
J
After
Sir, our sympathies are entirely with Great Britain in her temporary financial stress, and our sympathies are the more profound because we know this stress is entirely the result of But if, her all-out total War effort in defence of Democracy. realizing her temporary financial position, we abstain for the time being from putting in claims which we would otherwise feel entitled to make for financial assistance in regard to undertakings which may fairly be regarded as more than local in scope for example, the Hong Kong University, surely we have every right to expect that she would not wish to continue to impose on us a control which we resent because of its implication, and to which we object because of its delays and frustrations.
Because of this control many questions have been and are being still held up.. I may mention one of such questions in which I have taken some little part and which is of vital and pressing concern to so many Government Civil servants, namely the question as regards payment to members of Government who were not interned during the occupation.
/ Sir,