CO129-587-2 Immigration and emigration figures 9-1-1940 - 9-1-1940 — Page 4

4

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4.

The following points have a

bearing on these statistics:-

(a) During August and September the

railway service with Canton was

increasingly affected by bombing;

and on October 12th railway

communications with Kwangtung

ceased. Direct communication

by river with Canton and the West

(b)

(c)

River ceased on October 14th.

The heavy increase during the

four-month period October 1938 -

January 1939 was due to the

invasion of Kwangtung and the

capture of Canton and other

important provincial towns.

There was considerable military

activity in the West River and

South Kwangtung during the

spring and early summer of 1939.

The actual peak occurred on

July 6th when the net-increase

figure was 327,833.

(a)

The reversal of the upward trend in

and after June may be ascribed to

(1) further weakening of the

Chinese dollar, thus making Hong

Kong too expensive for less wealthy