CO129-590-11 Commission of Enquiry into irregularities in Immigration Departments 22-4-1941 - 19-12-1941 — Page 256

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

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Q.

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Q.

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Water Police, which has nothing to do with this Inquiry.

out and say you were not able to get a launch.

• •

If you cut that

I appreciate that, Sir, but throughout there has been a complete lack of

cooperation on the part of the Police in obtaining launches, and in most

cases other officers and I would rather take small motor boats instead of

troubling the Water Police. So instead of taking 20 minutes, the small

boats take 40 minutes or an hour to reach the ocean going boat. Under

the circumstances there is no use in my quoting specific instances.

If you say you were repeatedly unable to get a launch and had to fall

back on a less suitable form of transport, does that sum up what you

were going to say?

Yes.

And the consequence of that was that time was wasted which otherwise

might have been usefully employed?

That is 90.

Chairman:

I think it is only right I should tell you this. We have a

witness who is giving evidence in due course, You may not be here and so

I will quote one paragraph of his letter "I am writing with the sole

object of expressing gratitude for the courtesy extended to me by iss

Chan, Mr. Hobbs and Mr. Ling whenever I had occasion to call at the

Immigration Office. Mr. Hobbs especially was most obliging. I am pre-

pared to testify to the fact that from these three persons I received

that every courtesy, and I am very much obliged to them." I give you/now for

writer the reason that when we hear r. Ford who is the wirtex of that letter,

you may not be present.

Mr. Hobbs: Thank you,sir.

Mr. Forrest: I hope you will appreciate the fact I have not read the evidence

of what the witness is going to give. I am only wish to find out the

truth and I don't know the answer to these questions. Mr. Hobbs, have

A.

..

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you at all times when examining ships found the passengers orderly and

polite to you and your squads?

I would say at first when I did the Macao boats, no; but on every ocean

going boat I found no difficulty whatsoever.

The crew of the ship always was as helpful as you could expect them to be:

On one or two occasions no;- by that I take it you mean the purser or

officer in charge?

Q.

Yes; i.e. persons with whom you had to deal?

A.

No, on one or two occasions they have been very difficult.

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