CO129-592-24 Future immigration control policy 10-10-1945 - 19-12-1945 — Page 23

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Extract from General Report on Hong Kong dated

2nd November 1945.

Brig

Move Dougall

班

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25. Two major problems

immigration control and the

investigation of quislings and collaborators have been of the nightmare variety. Lacking even a percentage of the staff necessary to handle immigration, we have followed the negative policy of leaving the immigration restrictions on the statute book and maintaining the entirely theoretical position that permits are still necessary for entry. Guerilla occupation of the country between Hong Kong and Canton, the fact that the railway schedule is greatly curtailed and in-coming trains almost totally reserved for Chinese troops transhipping in Hong Kong, and the shortage of shipping on the West River and in Macau have temporarily saved us. The population was estimated at about 600,000 in early September: it is now past the 750,000 mark, and is ar- proaching one million, at which it is still manageable, provided reasonable supplies are available. There is yet no sign of the restoration of the facilities and conditions which will swamp us. Correspondence is attached to this report which reveals how near the bottom of the barrel we have come with immigration policy. The policy is deplorable but the results are not unsatisfactory

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