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K.271
Rak, p
18/3/69.
PERSONAL
GOVERNMENT HOUSE
HONG KONG
Mr. Carter
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3rd March 19
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17/3
HKK 13/17
Thank you for your letter No. HKK 13/17 of 19th February. I seem to be rather bombarding you with letters these days, but business is a bit slack this Monday morning so I thought I would take the opportunity to reply.
We have "the men in" to-day, clearing
up the garden. Over the week-end I continued an innovation I started last year of allowing the public freely into the G.H. garden while the azaleas were in bloom. Last year, on a wettish Sunday afternoon, we got 30,000 visitors: in view of the numbers who came, I opened the garden on both the Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and had bands playing both days to liven things up. On the Saturday we had 8,000 visitors, and on the Sunday (an even wetter afternoon than last year) we had 68,000 visitors with practically no damage and really very little litter!
I mention this because although the main reason why all these people came to see a really rather dull garden was undoubtedly (a) to rubber-neck and (b) just to have somewhere to go on a Sunday afternoon, nevertheless I think there is a small element of paying a call of respect on the Government. In other words, I think there is a small conclusion on general confidence and the state of public morale to be drawn - I stress, cautiously from it.
I dare say the reactions to the 1969/70 budget proposals had something to do with it.
They have gone down very well with the public I think as well they might! - and have added to what is now almost a troublingly high sense of euphoria: in spite of the carpers. I hope hubris is not setting in: all my experience tells me there must be some unexpected crisis lurking round the corner!
Apart from general satisfaction that no increase in taxation was needed and that Hong Kong's
Sir Arthur Galsworthy, K.C.M.G., Foreign & Colonial Office,
London, S.W.1.
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