14. Before leaving the subject, it might be of interest to mention two ancillary matters.
15. Firstly, during mopping-up operations by the Japanese Army on the frontier in November, 1938, a number of Chinese soldiers sought safety in the Colony and were interned, first on board ship and later in a portion of a camp built by Government for refugees and destitutes. During the year Government received, from the Chinese Government through the Director of Medical Services, a gift of H.K. $80,000 towards the cost of a new camp for these interned soldiers in order to release the first-mentioned camp for civilian use. At the end of 1939, 740 remaining out of the original 1,213 interned were transferred to the new camp completed at a total cost of about H.K.$120,000—one third of the cost being borne by the Hong Kong Government. The balance of the men had been released, had escaped or had died during the year.
Secondly, at the commencement of the European War in September, 1939, a number of enemy aliens living in Hong Kong were interned in an institution used for educational purposes. By the end of 1939 the numbers of such interned had fallen to below thirty as the result of releases to employers in Hong Kong and elsewhere well able to vouch for the persons concerned.
(b) Malnutrition.
16. The flooding of the urban market by refugees and the very heavy demand on accommodation with consequent high rentals for tenements, cubicles and even bed spaces, have resulted in a considerable reduction in the proportion of wages available for the purchase of food. Combined with ignorance of the right quality or quantity of food to be consumed, this gives rise to a serious incidence of malnutrition amongst the poorer sections of the population. This is especially noticeable in the young mother after she has delivered. Over 200 beds in one hospital of 300 beds had to be devoted to the treatment of beri-beri alone.
17. Just as in the case of the refugees, Government furnished shelter for many thousands, so in the case of the hungry it also provided several hundred thousand meals at camps and welfare centres during the year. Assistance was given in regard to free meals by certain voluntary organizations, notably the Hong Kong Refugee & Social Welfare Council and Hong Kong Red Swastika Society.
18. One of the avowed aims of the Nutrition Research Committee (newly constituted under the chairmanship of the Director of Medical Services) was to devise an economic but satisfactory dietary within the means of even the poorer class and to bring this to the notice of those concerned through the medium of the Chinese press and the radio.
19. Using the Government camps as experimental fields and keeping a careful check on the health and weights of the occupants, the Medical Department was able to introduce an adequately balanced diet costing 11.3 cents per day for those over seven years and 8.2 cents per day for those up to seven years of age (11.3 cents is equal to rather less than 1d). For details of dietary see Appendix I (b).
(c) Housing and Overcrowding.
20. Next after malnutrition, the most serious problem which Hong Kong had to face in 1939 was shortage of housing and dangerous overcrowding.
21. It has already been pointed out that the population of the Colony has almost doubled as the result of the influx of refugees since the start of the Sino-Japanese Incident in July, 1937.