痛
Mandarin romanization: "Hwa Chiao Joh Pao") and Your Petitioner
today is one of the main shareholders and the Managing Director
of the limited company operating and publishing the said news-
paper, which same paper has become the most powerful and
influential of Chinese dailies in Hong Kong with assets valued
at about $2,000,000.00 Hong Kong Currency (£125,000/- Sterling)
and a circulation of about 50,000 daily, Your Petitioner
respectfully draws attention to the fact that though the daily
circulation is in the figure of 50,000, the actual number of
readers would be far in excess of this number.
The Wah Kiu Yat Po attained this popularity by reason of
its liberal, progressive and impartial policy, which the
editorial staff kept free fo any political rein, control or
bias. The said newspaper particularly obtained a reputation
pre-war for its championing of the rights and interests of the
Hong Kong public, as well as for its reasonable and favourable
co-operation with the Hong Kong Government.
8.
On the occupation of Hong Kong in December 1941 by the
Japanese, the latter immediately issued an order specifically to
the whole staff of the Wah Kiu Yat Po prohibiting their
departure from the Colony and insisting upon publication of the
paper being continued. This measure was obviously taken because
the Wah Kiu Yat Po was known to the Japanese to be the principal
vernacular circulating pre-war, Your Petitioner decided that
the assets of the newspaper were too valuable to be abandoned and
that in any event abandonment by Your Petitioner of the newspaper
would certainly lead to its falling into direct control by a
puppet appointed by the Japanese authorities, and Your Petitioner
therefore decided to remain in the Colony and to continue
publication of the news paper by steering a difficult delicate
course of apparent collaboration with the Japanese authorities
whilst using the paper at the same time, for the purpose of
2.
hus.