56B] Wt. 32483 800 100m. 11/48 C.N.Ld. 748
54064/3/50
50
L.Y
E e
C. D.
C. O.
Mr. Radford 28/2
Mr. Hall /3
Mr Peck 1/5 Sidebotham 2/3.
Mr.
Mr.
Mr...
Brken 2/3 f=
Permt. U.S. of S.
Parly. U.S. S.
Minister of State
Secretary of State
Desp. 64
1. 5 MAR 1950
Your Reference....................
Confidential
DRAFT. DESPATCH
Sir,
Governor
Hong Kong
with copy of note attached
FURTHER ACTION
Copy
Coater
You Po
19469
I have etc. to acknowledge the receipt of
your despatch No. 177 of the 4th October, 1949,
and to inform you that the power of disallowance
will not be exercised in respect of Ordinance
No. 39 of 1949, shortly entitled "The Expulsion
of Undesirables Ordinance, 1949".
2.
The provisions of the Ordinance are, as
you have recognised, exceptional in legislation
enacted ordinarily as opposed to regulations made
in pursuance of emergency powers, and I note
that there was criticism of the Ordinance as
being too arbitrary, and as being capable of
being put in motion against a very wide range
of persons. I am, of course, aware that the
present over-population of the Colony presents
serious problems, both present and potential,
in the maintenance of public order, health, and
essential supplies, and that there would be need
in an emergency for some simple and summary
procedure for expelling undesirables. I
consider however, that it might have been more
appropriate to have embodied the se powers in
emergency regulations which need not have been
promulgated until the need arose, thus denying hostile propogandists the opportunity of
criticising the Hong Kong Government by talk
/of
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