1930-03-21
15:21 BRITISH TRADE COMMISSTON"
852 845 2870
LORD CAITHNESS; I CAN'T GIVE YOU THE DATE, BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME DISCUSSIONS TO CONTINUE. I THINK THAT WE WANT TO CONTINUE THE PROCESS THAT FRANCIS MAUDE STARTED AND I THINK I HAVE COVERED THE REST OF THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION ALREADY.
IIUMPHREY HAWKSLEY, BBC: THE STATEMENT BY MR HURD THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOULD LOOK AFTER THEMSELVES MORE, DO YOU THINK THAT THE TIME MIGHT BE RIGHT NOW, OR SOON, FOR A HONG KONG CHINESE ΤΟ BE APPOINTED AT THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG RATHER THAN A DIPLOMAT SECONDED FROM THE FOREIGN OFFICE?
LORD CAITHNESS: WELL I DON'T KNOW WHAT REMARK YOU ATTRIBUTING TO MR HURD.
ARE
HUMPHREY HAWKSLEY: I'M TALKING ABOUT THE POINT JUST AT THE BEGINNING THERE. YOU SAID THAT HONG KONG SHOULD LOOK AFTER HONG KONG THEMSELVES; THE HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOULD LOOK MORE AFTER THEMSELVES, NOT LOOK SO MUCH TO BRITAIN.
LORD CAITHNESS: NO, I DIDN'T SAY THAT. THAT
HUMPHREY HAWKSLEY: CAN YOU RE-QUOTE BACK PERHAPS WHAT MR HURD AND THEN WE CAN GET IT ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, AND THEN GO ON ΤΟ MY
SAID, QUESTION?
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LORD CAITHNESS: WELL, LET ME BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR. WHAT WE SEEK ΤΟ DO IS TO ENCOURAGE HONG KONG PEOPLE TO TAKE OVER AND HELP ON THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. THAT THEY HAVE DONE. IT'S NOTICEABLE
THE CHIEF JUSTICE, FOR INSTANCE THERE'S PEOPLE LIKE THAT, WHO ARE COMING UP FAR MORE THAN THEY USED TO. AND THAT IS THE POINT OF WHAT I WAS SAYING.
ME.
NOW THAT IS NOT THE QUOTATION THAT YOU REFERRED BACK ΤΟ WHETHER IT IS RIGHT TO APPOINT A HONG KONG CHINESE PERSON AS GOVERNOR, IS, I THINK, SOMETHING THAT I AM NOT GOING TO ANSWER AND YOU WOULDN'T EXPECT ME TO. I AM NOT GOING TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG. WE HAVE A VERY GOOD GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, IN WHOM THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAVE ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE. HE HAS BEEN HERE FOR THREE YEARS; THERE ARE NO PLANS FOR A CHANGE AND THAT IS PURE SPECULATION FOR THE FUTURE.
A
HUMPHREY HAWKSLEY: COULD YOU DISCUSS THE PRINCIPLE OF HAVING HONG KONG CHINESE PERSON AS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OR GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, AS OPPOSED TO A DIPLOMAT SECONDED FROM THE FOREIGN OFFICE?
LORD CAITHNESS: WE WANT THE BEST PERSON FOR THE JOB.
HUMPHREY HAWKSLEY: AND WHO MIGHT
MR OSBORNE: WE'VE EXHAUSTED THE SUBJECT, I THINK, COULD WE
WIN
FANNY WONG, SCMP: WELL IF IT'S DEFINITE THAT WE WILL GO AHEAD WITH THE AIRPORT PROJECT, BUT IF AT THE END OF THE DAY WE FAIL TO THE CHINESE SUPPORT, IS IT LIKELY OR POSSIBLE THAT WE MAY NEED TO SCALE THE PROJECT OR DEFER IT BY A FEW YEARS?
RE-