CO129-590-11 Commission of Enquiry into irregularities in Immigration Departments 22-4-1941 - 19-12-1941 — Page 243

MR. WALIOR HANDING CHEN, b.I.c.

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I have been «ssistant Immigration officer since January 2, 1941,

prior to which time I was for many years a Lember of the editorial staff of the North-China Daily hewa in Changhai. Following sy arrival in Hong Kong, I was appointed Associate saiter, and later Editor, of the Hong Kong Daily Fress. Concurrently, I was Dditor of the far äastern Journal, a monthly publication, which I gave up at the end of last year to join the Immigration Office.

I did not realize, until I had actually joined the service and taken up duty, the importance of the Immigration Officer's task, but, when I joined him, I imediately found that he was faced with difficult- ies of many kinds, principal among which were - To cope with the presaing work; for I hold the view What enforcement of the Ordinance

for Immigration Control was somewhat premature and should have been

postponed for an extra mouth or two at least after January 14, when it was actually put inte operation (the work was especially pressing with

the approach of the Chinese New Year); and

- to preserve order among

the dense crowds which were exceptionally noisy.

The space and furniture allotted to ua were totally inadequate

and the staff was far too small to enable the Immigration Officer to

carry on his gigantic task with efficiency. For weeks we were packed

together like sardines and there was hardly any space in which we could

move about freely. The Commission visited the Immigration office on

March 12, and it was my privilege to show you about. The Commission

saw the emell space allotted to us before and after the passports and

accounts departments and the security deposit refunding section were Loved from Marine House to the Central Branch in Queen's building. The Commission saw the small space outside the counter, 31ft. by 11g ft. leas approximately 18 in. for stool space, which had been set aside for the general public. In the Immigration Officer's "private office", 19ft. by 24ft., on many days prior to your visit, as many as 32 persona could be found herded together working. At the same time the wash room attached to the Immigration Officer's office was sometimes used as working space. The small passage-way behind the counter, in one part ɓit. and in another 3ft. 9in., is not wide enough to permit of two persons passing at the same time without jostling one another or the