PT.
79
27
Reference........
Mr. Kinnear
Trade Union Legislation
The provisions of the Trade Union Legislation (Amendment) Bill are continuing to attract attention. I have just seen a cutting from the "Times" of
13 October on the subject; according to that the Roman Catholics are now up in arms about this 'violation of human rights". I fear we are bound to get Parliamentary Questions to deal with once Parliament has re-assembled.
2. We must obviously clear our lines with the Hong Kong Government as soon as possible. Would you please draft a telegram to follow up the telegram I sent last night dealing with the outstanding points raised by the Legal Advisers. It will have to be cleared with both the Overseas Labour Adviser and the Legal Advisers them- selves. I should like to see the telegram before it goes. We are on weak ground vis à vis the Hong Kong Government in criticising the Bill because, as Hong Kong have not failed to point out, we agreed with the text in our Saving Despatch No.240 of 3 July. I share. the Legal Advisers' surprise that that Saving Despatch was sent without reference to them. We must never send views on legislative questions to the Hong Kong Government without first consulting the Legal Advisers. It was for these reasons that I toned down the draft prepared by Mr. Foggon and we shall have to draft the further telegram very carefully.
3. As you know, we have already had enquiries from two Members of Parliament, as well as a letter from Mr.Victor Feather and the Memorandum from Mr. England. Now that
we have the Legal Advisers' considered views, full replies will have to be sent to all these people. There are two temporary files which I sent forward yesterday to Mr. Booth and Mr. Godden. When they come back we must get all the papers on this file. We should also have on this file copy of the Acting Colonial Secretary's letter to me of 10 August, to which there is a reference in paragraph 1 of Hong Kong telegram No.664.
En
E. 0. Laird
Hong Kong Department 15 October, 1970.