47
5.4064/41 Laming Reges 33
COPY FOR REGISTRATION
Received
in
"R" Code Telegram
do Ashley Clarke (34)
Copyr
FROM: TO:
Registry
FROM HONG KONG
9 JUL 1941
Governor (Sir G. Northcote) Secretary of State for the Colonies.
D. 3rd July, 1941.
R. 8th
18.25 hrs.
N.T
No. 628
31.
Confidential.
July 3rd.
Your telegram No. 575.
In view of the temporary nature of the decision, conveyed in Mr. Smith's semi-official despatch to Sir A. Blackburn of the 23rd April, to drop "for the time being at least", system of consular visas in the case of persons of Chinese race who hold Chinese Government passports, it has not repeat not been considered either necessary or desirable to amend Immigration Control Ordinance No. 32 of 1940. Chinese are purposely not repeat not mentioned expressly in the Ordinance and an amending Bill expressly mentioning them might lead to undesirable debate in the Legislature and would be certain to tie this Government's hands in the event of it becoming necessary to revert to system. Ordinance does however provide in the proviso to Section 10(D) for agreements for mutual abolition or waiver of visas. Immigration Department is aware of temporary arrangement and is acting in accordance with it under Administrative instructions. There are not at present many cases involved as so far, only about 2% of the Chinese entering the Colony do so under Chinese passports; main reason for this small number may be that with Japanese occupation there are no Chinese Passport Issuing Offices in the districts from which most of Hong Kong's inward passenger traffic originates.
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