10
126
-
Schools for children have been organized mainly under Professor FORST-R es regarda the British Plans are in hand for adult education. Dancing classes have been organised ala) A series of lectures on general subjects of interest.
Much of the day however must be spent in gossip
and in queueing up for food, canteen and hot water.
The Maryknoll Fathera and Rev. H.R.Wells have cleases in Cantonese and Heka Judge Allman of Shanghai runs a clasa in Chinese characters which seems quite popular.
Latterly the urge for food he brought about a keen market for the commodity in the Camp. Coupled with the demand for food is the demand for easentiala such as shoes boots and clothing. Vents are advertised in the Exchange Market",
By cereful trading one can acquire almost any article needed in the Camp. It is perhaps remarkable that the instit for
trading is most prominent in those who in civil life were in non commercial occupatione.
I alluded above to the effect of camp life and conditions on the more elderly. Those who have spent 20 - 30 years in Hongkong in comfortable business positions are perhepa the most herûly hit h:ving lost all they have with no hope of compensation, and lacking the bounce of youth to restart life. They tend to look understanding that the old conditions of life in Hongkong dennot be revived, they cannot appreciate the in- iquities of the old system. The future of Mongkong offers little hope for them - Theyimagine that all will be well with the relief of Hongkong Failing that thoughts dwell on repatriation."
Paragraph 24 Looting of Godowns.
Quoting directly from .F. Thompson'a notes
"The most discussed topic in the camp and worth recording aa fully as I can measge -
Just outside the Camp boundary on the aproach to the goal are two groups of Hongkong Government Food Godowna, the upper or southern group numbering 2 opposite St. Stephens College and the lower or Northern Group numbering four situated about 250 yards from Stanley Police 3tation. These were fully stocked and had not been damaged in the fighting or materially looted after hostilities During the first week of March the Japanese requested Volunteer Labour from the Camp for the purpose of clearing these Godowns of food stocks. The urge for food led to some unseemly competition to be included in the Volunteer Labour Gangs, The Japanese were not ungenerous in paying for the labour in kind, and did not appear at first to worry particularly about the pilfering that went on among the workers, They let them eat what they could on the spot, and were not unaware that a good deal. wee carried away concealed about the persons of the volunteer By night a steady stream of tinned goods in cases was removed by various parties of mauradera. On the second day the Japanese Officer in charge gave some 60 cases of tinued goods to the Camp Authorities for distribution. On the third day a quantity of goods including flour sugar and tinned goods was set aside to be donated to the Camp on the following day. Unfortunately that night the marauders removed a quantity of this special stock and the loss was at once spotted on the following morning. The Japanese Office in charge. (I imagine the equivalent of the R.4.5. C.) adopted a very temperate line and merely requested thatthe missing stock should be returned ingognito, nj nemes, no re- crimination. Fennefeather Evans Police Commissioner
wa 9
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.