The new Hongkong Evacuation Representation Committee, formed following the resignation of the: former members at a meeting which passed a vote of non-confidence, commenced their work by holding a meeting of lonely husbands at which a resolution was passed that "Government be approached to hold a public inquiry into the working of the evacuation and as to who was responsible" The idea apparently is to go direct home and ask the Government there, the Colonial Government and the military authorities to set up a commission of enquiry. the members of which should be brought from Britain at the expense of the husbands, if necessary. A speaker at the meeting described conditions for the evacuees in Australia, and urged that the return of he eyacueeb to Hongkong should be made entirely voluntary, or that all British women and children should be obliged to leave the Colony. It is an interesting fact Hongkong to justify the opening of a one report that sufficient children remain
school.
There appears to have been a considerable same risks, pursue such widely differing Policies it is time someone took a hand in bringing abóut some degree of coordination between the two.
The case of Singapore clearly demonstrates: that the original evacuation order in Hongkong, even if it had been- carried out iwpartially, which it most decidedly was not, "was completely unnecessary, rue ent siderable hardship on the smaller husbands and arousing great indignation over the discrimination which was employed to permit so many women to escape the provisions of the evacuation order. The original step was a bad one, but the conduct of the officials entrusted with its operation is open {o very considerable criticism, and a case appears to have been made for the of an enquiry such as the Evacuation Re" presentation Committee desire. The probable cause of the whole trouble is that someone in Hongkong failed to understand that.this war is very different from those which have preceded it, and that, if women in Britain can, as they have to, remain there and work by the sides of their husbands, there is no earthly reason why the same thing should noe obtain in other párts of the British Empire. Obviously it obtains in Singapore and the question may rightly be asked "Why not in Hongkong?"
Another point which the Evacuation Representation Committee considered is the question of getting publicity in Britain dor (ne purpose of ventilating their grievances. It is doubtful whether they will have much success in this connecüon. The greatly reduced newspapers and he large amount of weighty information they have to carry daily, makes it very unlikely that the Committee will be able to obtain much publicity in the Press, for, compared with the huge problems of the war, this incident in Hongkong, important as it undoubtedly is to individual husbands and wives, is a very small matter indeed. It is possible that representations which have been made to various members of Parliament may be productive of some good, though even that is problematical for the legislature has other and much bigger fish to fry. The situation, therefore, does not look particularly promising, and the Hongkong officials are likely for the time being to have things very much their own way; but that is no reason why the evacuation Representation Committee ^should not continue their efforts to bring someone to book for this egregious blunder.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.