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with the temporary Camp Committee that the third alternative above was the only possible one under the circumstances. However no more waa heard of the demand for a time as apparently Miyski's departure terminated the prolonged negotiations. The matter was raised again about the first week in March when the figure had risen to HK$28,000.00 in the Camp were informed that the account had been paid by a British merchant who wished to remain anonymous."
Paragraph 18. Deals with Cesh.
The
We
I will give you my notes here first. financial condition of people interned is very hard. Some came with no money at all or very little and to endeavour to live on the rations provided by the Japanese means slow starvation, People who have any money spend it on cocoa, tea, suger and jem. Very little suger is supplied in the rations. Rumour had it at one time that each foreigner should receive $50.00 a month tp spend at the Canteen - this never materialized and the Canteen operated very spasmodically due to the obstruction on the part of the Supervisor in charge of the Camp. When we left most of the buying was being done by underground methods and at exorbitant prices - again I must say thet for people with no money life is almost unbearable as the first meal of rice, lettuce and fish or meat is at approximately 11.am. more usually at 12 noon and the second meal of rice etc.. at 5 p.m. or thereabouts. So for people with no money with which to buy provisions this means a feat of nearly eighteen hours. There is also a rumour that the International Red Cross were to alleviate the position and s Dr, Faravitohi is reported to have left Japan with Japanese approval to deal with the situation in Hongkong, It is most imperative that something is done in the way of alleviating the food situation - already six deaths have occurred in the Camp - these are mostly older people.
Thompson's notes read
P
is
"The internees are existing on such cash as they were able to bring into the Camp - 411 accounts have been sealed No effort hes been made to allow internees to draw on their private account even in limited quantitites There are been talk of allowing 250.00 per month from the private secounts of those that have none provided they paid both for food supplied to them and to those who have no private resources Nothing has come of this."
Paragraph 19.
Repatriation,
I will quote from Thompson's notes first
"There have been various rumours.floeting round the Camp - the general impression being that the Japanese were anxious to get rid of us The latest maat definite one was that Selwyn Clark was working to get us shipped to Shanghai. I heard definitely ea late as the 18/3/42 that he wee strongly in favour weighing all considerations, I cannot of course say anything about the outcome of his negotiations,"
All I have to say is that people interned at Stanley live from day to day on optimistic rumours - the chief being one which enamsted from Dr. Selvyn Clark that women. children and elderly men and sometimes all internees would be repatria- ted to South America, Maceo or Vladivostock and the latest is now thet internees are to be transferred to Shanghai. This rumour about the transfer to Shanghai was when we left very strong - chiefly because it is realised that the food stocks in the Colony are very low and that it is unlikely that the Japanese will ship food in for us and it is argued that there is plenty of food in Shanghai being a city on a net work of railways, It has also been rumoured that each person will receive HKZ150.00 from the Government when transferred
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