HC Deb 24 May 1950 vol 475 c2044
20. Mr. Thomas Reid

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the population of Hong Kong before the war; what it is now; and what restrictions are placed on the entrance of immigrants.

Mr. Dugdale

The last official census in 1931 gave the population of Hong Kong as 869,751. The population in March of this year was 2,317,000. As regards the last part of the Question, the entry of aliens into Hong Kong is governed by the Hong Kong Immigrants Control Ordinance, 1949, and regulations thereunder. Recently, in view of the very serious overcrowding of the Colony, with consequent danger to public health and to food and water supplies, the regulations have been amended and the previous exemptions to citizens of the Chinese Republic have been withdrawn.

Mr. Reid

Have the Government of China made any complaint about the restriction of immigration?

Mr. Dugdale

I think that at the moment the situation appears to be quite satisfactory in that respect.

Mr. Walter Fletcher

Do those figures include Kowloon and the leased territories, or just the island?

Mr. Dugdale

As far as I know, they refer just to the island.