CO537-1658 — Page 63

Japanese surrender the approbation of the British authorities

was signified by a written testimonial from the then Secretary

for Chinese Affairs, the Honourable Mr. R. A. C. North to Your

Petitioner, written as follows :*

"Dear Mr. Shum,

"S. C. A.

"

Hong Kong

#

October 1st 1945.

On behalf of those who were interned in

"Stanley, I should like to pay a tribute to the manner in

"which your paper managed to give reliable news in spite of

the Japanese censorship. It was not easy for us to get

"the Wa Kiu Yat Po but copies were occasionally smuggled

#into the camp. The information which we obtained in this

"way did much to keep up our spirits.

P

I wish you every success in the future.

#

體

Yours sincerely,

(sd.) R.A.C. North

#Shum Wai Yau, Esq."

12. On the re-occupation of Hong Kong by the British

authorities, the paper resumed its pre-war policy and co-

operated actively with the British Authorities, its circulation

steadily rose from September, 1945, from a figure then of 20,000

to its present high circulation of 50,000, a circulation exceed-

ing the total circulation of all other vernacular newspapers,

thus incurring the bitter jealousy of most of the other Chinese

papers, as well as attracting to it the greed and avarice of the

representatives in Hong Kong of the Chinese Kimintang party,

which party from an early date was desirous of obtaining control

of the paper and of turning it into a party organ to work for

the interests of that party and against the interests of the

British Government in Hong Kong.

4.

Jud.