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54. As was anticipated several cases of malaria arose at Lai Chi Kok and it was necessary to set aside the ground floor of one of the sheds as a hospital ward and to increase the staff of nursing sisters and nurses. There were 111 admissions to the hospital of which 78 were for malaria. This considerably added to the cost of the Lai Chi Kok Centre compared with previously as, in all cases of destitute refugees, those who were admitted to Government hospitals were treated there free. After the move to Lai Chi Kok Dr. Lilias Dovey was required to return to her work as Visiting Medical Officer for Chinese Hospitals; for a short time Dr. G. H. Henry visited the Centres daily, and later Dr. (Mrs.) G. R. Nash was placed in full charge.
(C) Carrying on and the return of the Refugees.
4
55. After the refugees were safely housed in Lai Chi Kok and old Central British School the Centres carried on smoothly. There was naturally considerable anxiety on the part of many of the refugees to return to their homes in Shanghai as soon as possible. Even as early as the 19th September a large number returned to Shanghai by the Messageries Maritimes s.8. Chenonceaux but comparatively few of these were from either of the Centres. Conditions in Shanghai appeared to have improved considerably and the Committee office was bombarded daily with requests for assistance to return. This could not be given and only those who were able to make their own arrangements for passages were able to leave.
56. Tentative suggestions were put forward on the 13th October that men who had reasonable expectations of resuming business in Shanghai and women who had guaranteed posts to which they were anxious to return should be given assisted passages to Shanghai, but this was not approved.
57. About thirty left the Centres for Shanghai on 2nd October, twenty- three on 15th October and thirty-four on the 31st October. Thereafter restrictions on return were somewhat relaxed and sixty-three (mainly Iraquians) were sent back on the Lloyd Triestino s.s. "Conte Rosso' on 22nd November. In all cases where passages had to be provided for the refugees a promise to repay the cost thereof was obtained. (Appendix 7).
58. Towards the end of November further telegraphic correspondence took place with H.M.'s Consul-General in Shanghai on the subject of the return of the Refugees, and authority was given to repatriate those who had accommodation available in the International Settlement south of the Soochow Creek or in the French Concession.
59. The Consul-General also asked on 30th November that a list of the refugees still maintained in the Centres should be forwarded for the guidance of the British Fund for relief in China and that notification should be made to him when destitute refugees were returning to Shanghai. Such a list was prepared and for- warded to Shanghai and in all subsequent repatriations those who might require some help on arrival in Shanghai were reported by telegram and referred to by their
number on this list.
1
60. Twenty-eight were sent back by the Messageries Maritimes s.s.
Athos
II on 12th December and 148 left by the s.s. Conte Verde" and "D'Artagnan on 25th and 26th December. The remainder who had been detained on account of illness left by the s.s. "Conte Biancamano on 9th January. The Lai Chi Kok Centre was closed on 26th December, 1937, and the old Central British School after the last refugees left on 15th January, 1938.
61. It will be seen that the process of returning the refugees to Shanghai was somewhat protracted. Though numbers were diminishing almost daily the cost of maintaining the Centres was not proportionately reduced. Overhead charges remained much the same whether there were 300 or 200 resident in the Centre. Every effort was made to curtail expenses, staff was reduced and salaries lowered.
(D) School for Refugee Children.
62. Considerable anxiety was felt for the welfare of the many children who had come to Hong Kong from Shanghai at the loss of all educational facilities at a formative period of their lives. A few were enrolled in Hong Kong schools but naturally there was no room for the majority.
63. During the month of September therefore Mr. Pardoe, a member of the staff of the Lester Technical Institute, Shanghai, was asked to organize a school for children resident in Kowloon. He approached several of the lady teachers of the Shanghai Municipal Council who willingly co-operated with him, The School was opened on 22nd September on the premises of the Union Church, Jordan Road, kindly lent by the Rev. Mr. J. D. MacLean and classes were held in the morning for the children from Lai Chi Kok Centre and in the afternoon for children living in private premises. At the same time a kindergarten class was opened at Lai Chi Kok for those who were too young to travel by bus-this class was equipped by the Ladies Welfare Committee.
64. The premises at the Union Church were however inadequate and after about two weeks the school moved to the old Kowloon Magistracy Building. It was then possible to accommodate both groups of scholars at the same time. There were then about 200 pupils in attendance but by the end of October, when on the return of the lady teachers to Shanghai the school was temporarily closed, the numbers had fallen to between 160 and 170. The ages of the pupils ranged from six to eighteen and were divided into seven classes, the top form being composed of children who hoped to sit for their Cambridge Matriculation Examination in December.
65. A fee of $3 was charged for the first child in each family and $1 for every additional child, to cover the cost of stationery, school supplies, servants' wages, etc.
The children from Lai Chi Kok, however, paid no fees. Very little had to be spent on text-books as these were kindly lent by the Headmistress of the Diocesan Girls' School and by Mother Ida of the Italian Convent. A very fine piece of work was done by Miss G. W. Meech, who was in charge after Mr. Pardoe left, and her fellow teachers of the Shanghai Municipal Council Schools.
66. Mrs. M. J. Lambert kindly undertook to carry on the school and after a short break classes were resumed on 8th November. As it seemed imperative that the children should not remain unoccupied I authorized the engagement on the very small salaries of $75 a month, which were only meant to cover out of pocket expenses. of five teachers Mrs. Smith. B.A., Mrs. Warr, Mrs. Vicary, Mrs. Hamilton and Mrs. Mitchell. There were then 73 pupils on the roll at the old Kowloon Magistracy Building and 24 at Lai Chi Kok under Mrs. Mitchell. The school closed on 15th December.
the
VI.
Non-British Refugees.
67. In addition to the British refugees from Shanghai a considerable number of other nationals arrived in Hong Kong during the last week of August. Many passed through immediately. Portuguese, of whom 250 arrived on 27th August by Empress of Canada were either accommodated by friends or passed on to Macao, those of French nationality to Saigon, and citizens of the United States of America to Manila. A Centre for about 100 refugees of Norwegian, Danish and Swedish nationalities was organized by their respective consuls in premises at the Cosmopolitan Dock, kindly lent by the Chief Manager of the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company, while the German Community of Hong Kong organized another Centre for their fellow nationals in a house on Stubbs Road.
68. Some non-British nationals were, however, included among the British refugees, being mainly relatives of women who had acquired British nationality by
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