CO129-604-6 Immigration- control over entry from China 1-1-1947 - 4-1-1950 — Page 191

1955

22/3/49.

To: The Under Secretary of State,

for Colonial Affairs, Whitehall, London.

Dear Rees Williams, -

FONG KONG

12, Downing Street,

S. V. 1.

Following our conversation today, I am now sending you extracts from a letter I have received from my brother, H. M. Snow of Hong Kong, and I would be most grateful if you would let me have your observations on each item in due course. If possible, yould you so frame your answers that if desirable they can be published in Hong Kong or elsewhere. Furthermore, it is my intention to send my brother a copy of this letter together with your replies prior to Mr.Melch's arrival, and the correspondence thus produced can be used as a basis for any future meeting that may be arranged between you, Mr.Welch and myself, on this subject. I understood from you today, that such a meeting would be agreeable to yourself.

Extracts from letter written by H.M. Snow, dated 14th March 1949:-

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"Briefly, there is abroad a very strong feeling that the

administration of the, Colony is being deliberately directed into channels unduly favourable to the Chinese. This results in discrimination as between foreign and Chinese firms and residents. Feeling is beginning to run high. It is not known - and here is the point whether this policy is that actually required by the Colonial Office or is the interpretation of the Colonial Office policy given by local government employees".

"Hongkong has at the present time more than twice the population

it had pre-war. It is officially held that Chinese from China have unlimited right of ingress into Hongkong conferred on them by the Treaty of Cession. This view is not backed up by other quarters but the effect is largely that the place is overrun by Chinese of all shades of politics and desirability. With Chinese internal affairs in their present disastrous state the unlimited ingress of Chinese is a calamity. As a matter of interest the following are the requirements of the Chinese Government on all for eigners entering China. 1. A valid passport. 2. An entry visa for China. 3. Once in China a Resident's permit. 4. When leaving China an exit visa. Not one of these requirements is applied as regards Chinese entering Hongkong. It is very strongly felt that passports requirements should be reciprocally applied to Chinese."

"I am aware that announcements are from time to time made that

there is for the time being no intention on the part of H. M.G. to negotiate for the retrocession of the Colony. But the feeling that such negotiations are possible persists - principally owing to the attitude of the administration. Would it not be possible for a further statement to be made in absolutely unequivocal terms that Hongkong. is in no danger?

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"A very large business is done here with Manchester or rather

Lancashire textiles. ".

"firm operates only on an indent basis". "Other firms who trade on their own account with Lanchashire have commitments many times this figure. Unless some sort of measures are taken to alleviate what I can almost call this feeling of panic there are going to be a lot of cancellations".

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