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13. FUND-RAISING ACTIVITIES AND DISCUSSIONS ON CHINA'S WAR
PREPARATIONS WILL DOUBTLESS CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE LOCAL COMMUNIST
SCENE FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. THE INTENSIFIED UNITED FRONT
CAMPAIGN, A MAJOR FEATURE OF RECENT COMMUNIST ACTIVITY, IS BEGINNING
TO SHOW RESULTS. THE RECENTLY NEGOTIATED PAY INCREASES HAVE
IMPROVED THE STANDING OF CERTAIN COMMUNIST UNIONS. THEY HAVE
UNDOUBTEDLY INCREASED THEIR INFLUENCE AMONGST TAXI DRIVERS AND
PUBLIC LIGHT BUS OPERATORS BUT HAVE YET TO RE-ESTABLISH THEMSELVES
IN THE BUS AND TRAM COMPANIES. BACKED TO SOME EXTENT BY THE
KNOWLEDGE OF THE OVER-CROWDING IN EXISTING COMMUNIST SCHOOLS,
THEY ARE CONFIDENT THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO FILL PLANNED NEW
SCHOOLS. THE PRESSURE FROM STUDENTS WISHING TO SIT FOR GOVERNMENT
EXAMINATIONS MAY FORCE IMPROVED ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND COULD RESULT
IN FEWER POLITICAL INDOCTRINATION PERIODS. COMMUNIST INFLUENCE
OVER HAWKERS HAS INCREASED CONSIDERABLY AND THE ABILITY TO PERSUADE
HAWKERS TO CO-OPERATE WITH GOVERNMENT ILLUSTRATES A CAPABILITY TO
ENGINEER THEIR OPPOSITION TO AUTHORITY WHEN SO DESIRED.
11. DESPITE PROGRESS THE COMMUNISTS ARE STILL WELL BELOW THEIR
PRE-1967 STRENGTH IN MOST FIELDS WHERE THEY ARE REPRESENTED.
THERE IS, HOWEVER, A NOTICEABLE RETURN OF CONFIDENCE IN
SOME COMMUNIST ORGANISATIONS AND, PROVIDING THE LEADERS CAN
CONTROL THEIR MILITANT ADHERENTS, THEY WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE
/GRADUAL
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