CO129-595-2 Financial compensation for married officers whose families were evacuated in 1940-1 21-2-1946 - 31-1-1947 — Page 32

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number of

children confined in Stanley Internment Camp, at one time it is recalled amounting to 288, and by the large number of aged women who were not and could not possibly be of use for essential service before and still less during hostilities, the threat of which caused the evacuation order.

5. During the 18efore the siege of the Colony Mr. Cal- throp recieved a small percentage rebate on the customary 7% deduction for quarters, amounting if remembered correctly to some Hongkong $20 or 30. Mr. Crutwell recieved the usual Lodging Allowance in lieu of provision of Government Quarters, We therefore suffered financial loss compared with the men who either legitimately or worse still with no right, were permitted to keep their wives and children in the Colony. No form of Separation Allowance was granted us, but though this at the time offered a just grievance, we took no action in joining a society formed in protest on both fin- -ancial and moral as though sympathising with the Society's aims, we felt debarred from doing so as Government servants.

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It is apparently now proposed to deduct the full allowance we made our families from the arrears of salary due to us, whereas the men who kept their families in the Colony will recieve their full salary, though their families were maintained free in the Camp. We respectfully point out that our losses in clothes, personal effects, and household pro- -perty amount to practically the same, as our families were permitted to take little baggage with them. It does not therefore seem equitable that we should be at a financial disadvantage compared to them, particularily bearing in mind the heavy cost of replacement of all our lost property at the present time.

7. We submit it is no cogent argument that we are great- -ly relieved that our families escaped internment. In the case of the children and many of the women, they had no right to be there. We would further point out that the presence of children and infirm women imposed greater hardship on the remainder of the internees, as quite rightly the decision was early and inevitably reached that most of the available "lux- -uries", such as milk and eggs, scantily provided, must be

n given to them. Moreover children over three recieved the same ration as we did and the surplus rice which they could not possibly eat, would have been, such was the starvation ration for adults, greatly welcomed by us, though in fact eaten by the parents. Husbands with wives in the Camp ben-

where- -efitted greatly by the sale of the latter's jewelry -as we in order to sustain health as far as possible were forcedto borrow hundreds of pounds at extortionate rates of exchange.

8. We submit respectfully that the way the original

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