Report by
General ANDERSON
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HONG KONG has always been, and still is, a "free" port and the free movement of Chinese to and from China proper is unrestricted. (This right of free movement was one of the conditions under which the island was originally ceded to the British in 1841).
Although this situation may have been contributory to Hong Kong's peacetime prosperity, it raises grave difficulties under existing conditions. While the economic and political situation in South China remains unsettled, with shortages in all commodities with consequent graft and corruption, Hong Kong will continue to be a haven which will continue to attract the Chinese in their thousands. The present rate of immigration into the colony is variously estimated at between 100,000 and 200,000 per month which is, however, offset to some extent by emigration at a rate which it is impossible to determine exactly. (The net increase may well be of the nature of 30,000 to 50,000 per month). In addition there is a very large junk traffio between the colony and many ports in China Proper and the floating junk population (which is nomad and continually on the move) has been estimated at some 100,000 present in the colony at any given time.
These factors make it impracticable to establish and maintain any water-tight system of food rationing without an enormous organisation of office staff, outside inspectors and immigration control for the establishment of which resources are not available. The present system of rationing (rice and flour only) is that household ration cards are issued upon declaration and only a very small proportion can be checked. It is also impossible to check the validity of more than a fraction of the claims of "new immigrants" while the ration cards of "emigrant households" may well remain in circulation. The present ration is 2-2/3 lbs rice and 2 lbs flour per head per five day period and in addition the price of certain other articles (bread, tinned milk, sugar, etc.) is controlled.
2.
The Chinese are a very resilient and hard-working people and the local bazaars are already very active, handling quite impressive quantities of local produce fruit, vegetables, fish, sweets, various types of Chinese foods and even certain quantities of high-grade rice imported illegally from the mainland. Some 20,000 people are being maintained by direct relief but, on the whole, the existing nutritional position seems good. Heavy workers may have to be given supplementary rations shortly and the small supplies of rice now reaching the Colony from the mainland may cease, but the real danger facing the Colony stems from her geographical position on and near the mainland of China.
As stated previously movement between the Colony and the mainland is practically uncontrollable and economic conditions on the mainland could result in a vast increase of immigration into the Colony and/or an uncontrollable leakage of supplies from the Colony to the mainland. Prices are reported to be extremely high in Canton, the Pearl River is open and the potential lift of the junk fleet is very high. From reports current in Hong Kong there is little or no actual starvation in China and UNRRA supplies for China are moving but, if critical conditions arose on the mainland, the Colony would be unable to maintain a position of isolation. (It is of interest to note that some 6,000 tons of UNRRA sup lies from China are stockpiled in Hong Kong awaiting provision of transportation facilities to Canton).
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