CO129-591-12 Military Administration- Civil affairs- directives to force commander and senior officials 24-2-1945 - 13-9-1945 — Page 44

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This liaison team has been of the greatest assistance in settling quickly and quietly a number of difficulties involving Chinese military personnel. It also provides a direct link with Canton which has proved very helpful.

5. A Japanese Equipment Mission was established last year to collect and hand over to the Chinese Army Japanese equipment captured at the time of the capitulation. The quantity of equip- ment captured was considerably less than anticipated. It has now all been collected into a few central dumps. All of it has been handed over to the Chinese Military Delegation. Half of the equipment so handed over has already left the Colony for Canton and elsewhere. It is anticipated that the remainder of the equip- ment will be cleared by early April. When this has been completed, the Chinese Military Delegation and the Japanese Equipment Mission will no longer have any functions to perform.

1.

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MEMORANDUM ON DOCKS CLEARANCE.

GENERAL.

(a) The most important principle to be borne in mind when considering docks clearance, is that port capacity is governed by docks clearance.

(b) The main objective at any port is invariably to increase its capacity. This can only be brought about by careful

attention to docks clearance.

(c) Clearance implies the avoidance of congestion. This requires good organisation, adequate port appliances, sufficiency of labour and making full use of the available means of transport.

(d) Transport may take one or more of the following forms:-

(i) By rail, either direct from quay to destination, or marshalling of wagons in a docks exchange siding for onward move as complete trains.

(ii) Direct into lorries ex ship or ex transit godowns.

(iii) By Inland Water Transport Craft either overside, or ex transit godowns into lighters or other light

craft.

(e) The purpose of this memorandum is to take into consi- deration the foregoing factors, and review very briefly how they apply to clearance ex docks of the Kowloon peninsula.

(f) The review is best divided into three periods namely:—

(i)

The first few months following liberation of the

Colony.

(ii) The present position.

(iii) Future development.

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