Nov. 3.
It is reported that, during his visit to Australia, Mx. Alfred Duff Cooper will receive a deputation of evacuated wives of Hongkong Britons. If he does, and the wives are anywhere near as emphatic as their mates in Hongkong have been, he is Likely to receive what is commonly called an earful. 'That will certainly be the case if hho sees Mrs, G. H. Wasser who has been evacuated to Brisbane, and who in a letter to the "South China Morning Post" asks why does the Government persist in futile efforts to make us slay put' by dragging out a flea~ bitten argument called "The Situation' every time we ask for the privilege of being. permitted to return to our husbands?" summing up of the position, if correct, and it appears to be, is indeed a revelation. "It is, as follows: safety wemment. for, velose upon (1) Hongkong. is considered. a haven, i000" British women and 400 British children "Syet is unable for "approximately another pra Moron another, natonaltn can Beinoteyet wee although Briish, are denied eave themselves ff they stay im the Colony
Tighe to choose where we shall live "We inow that the elastic-sided. ban. constantly "being. raised to permit. British 'Women to, return, and 'G)We Know, also, that most of those re-turing' are, on medical authority, unt, fourteen hundred British women, and children are still In the Colony, and the fact {hat a school has been opened for the children suggests that this must be approximately the truth, then those who obeyed the instructions to evacuate have a decidedly strong case for being allowed to return to their husbands and. their homes. If" women. of other Dationalities are able to decide for themselves whether they shall stayin Honglong oF leave, and if s0 many British women could succeed in evading Government instructions, quite apparent that regulations were Issued "which the Government cither would not of could not enforce. Indeed the amount of discrimination which appears fo have been Gisplayed suggests a mixture of the two—Hongkong officials would not evacuate some fand could not evacuate others. In this connection it may be noticed. th Government of the Malay States re exer ising. some control over the women and children who may be admitted into its Jurisdiction, there has up to the present been.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.