321
(C.A.A. 1).
PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL.
No.
CIVIL AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATION,
Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank Building,
Hong Kong.
7th November, 1945.
G. E. J. Gent, Esq., C.M.G., D.S.O., 0.B.E., M.C.,
Colonial Office,
LONDON.
L
Exact-x
Por 14342/2/1
My dear Gent,
Here is a brief report. I should have written it long ago, but there are only 24 hours in the day. Danby, Cowperthwaite and Jean Bond arrived last night, and I am putting them all into this central office to relieve the strain. It is clear from what they say that the London end is nearly as hard-pressed as here.
2.
A cable came asking for W M. Thomson to go back on a short visit. I'll send him as soon as I can spare him, probably in a week or two. I have been doing Governor-in-Council, F.S., and C.S: he deals executively with the supply and reconstruction departments. both of us it is hit or miss each time.
3.
The great problem is to get the facts
For
card-
indexing (or its equivalent) being the basis of efficient administration. But we haven't the staff and won't have, even with a full establishment. Much may have to be forgiven us.
4.
I do, however, feel a certain satisfaction in having got the thing through this far without serious mishap: the twists and turns have been unconventional, but I've had very good support. If supplies of everything come in in time, we'll be across the tightrope: but time passes and from now on, runs against us.
5.
When the fleet sailed in, tens of thousands of Chinese lined the waterfront. A man who was there told me that they didn't remark whether the ships were British, American, Russian or Chinese: all they said was "Now we will eat." By shifts and evasions we have carried on for nine weeks to conceal the essential weakness of the position, which is that the larder is bare, that the godowns are empty, and that the liberators brought nothing that fills stomachs or furnishes houses.
We have dusted out the marriage chamber, cleaned the windows, put in some (almost) fresh linen and turned back the covers. But there is no sign of the bride, and the groom grows restive.
7
I have been up to Canton and had a royal welcome from Chan Chak: he is in a stew, though, over Chang Fa Kwei who doesn't like us very much. We can take it, I think, that nothing which Hong Kong does in the next few months will be right in the eyes of this disappointed and ambitious war-lord.
8.
Locally, the most serious (and from the point of view of our pre-war system, the most damning) factor is that there seem to be no new Chinese of the younger generation anxious to shoulder the responsibility of public affairs. I have been unable to find candidates anxious to dispute local leadership with the established order. Ferhaps it is early days yet.
T. N. Chau are doing very well. is a mess
So far as I can see
Meantime M. K. Lo and
The Kotewall business no one has a scrap of
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