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Mr Laird
1.
разка
You have asked for my observations on the attached minute by Mr Downing.
2. The arguments set out by the Department of Employment in Mr Pickford's letter at (456) are not, in my view, as robust as they might appear at first sight:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
We are
We are not asking for the total number of permits for Commonwealth citizens from dependent territories to be increased. simply asking that any dependent territory should be allowed up to a maximum of 60 per cent, rather than 50 per cent, of the permits available.
To say that Hong Kong will do "relatively well" under the arrangements stretches the theory of relativity rather far. In fact, Hong Kong will suffer from the arrangements more than any other dependent territory since it is the only one which regularly takes up its full quota.
The Department of Employment is apparently willing to see Commonwealth citizens from dependent territories other than Hong Kong take up the extra 40 places; but they are not prepared to see them go to anyone from Hong Kong. This attitude is apparently based entirely on the hope that other dependent territories will not take up the places, whereas Hong Kong would undoubtedly do so.
This strikes me as being a curious way of controlling immigration into this country. Moreover, the admission of permit holders from other dependent territories is just as likely to clash with the declared aim ferestricting the intake of semi- skilled and unskilled workers as would the admission of permit holders from Hong Kong.
The Department mentions its North Western Region as experiencing placing difficulties with concentrations of unemployed Chinese. But this information is meaningless unless the actual numbers involved are mentioned and unless the position is compared with that obtaining in other regions and other communities. Our belief is that the Chinese community in this country is thrifty and hardworking and it would be interesting to know how many of them are in receipt of public assistance compared with the numbers of members of other communities who are receiving it.
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