Page 50 Similarly Maldivian Pavilion shows some of handicrafts typical of islands
lacquer work, coir rope mats, silver gold lace.
of great beauty as also fish and wooden toys.
Maldives export sea shells
Even at this early stage of £2,000,000,000 plan which will run up to 1957 it has become evident that all participating countries have recognised importance international cooperation. Colombo Plan Exhibition itself reflects
Colombo
spirit cooperation and understanding. This bold experiment in democratic cooperation undertaken on initiative of Commonwealth has already developed into
great partnership.
ITEM THREE. MANPOWER AND PRODUCTIVITY:
House Commons debate (From agency sources).
Minister of Labour in today's
Minister Labour Sir Walter Monckton replied for government to points raised by Mr. Alfred Robens former Minister Labour who opened debate, for Opposition, dealing at some length with matter of full employment. Robens had referred to impressions which had been given to workers by employers that
Sir Walter. "a deal of unemployment was best thing to make chap work, said "I am last person to say only spur to further effort is unemployment. I want see high stable level of employment." He said men registered as unem- ployed last January was 216,000 lowest figure by about 16,000 for any January since 1946. The Minister said that during 1951 employment in metals, engineering and vehicles production increased by 18,000 and employment went up in the aircraft
branch.
consultation.
*ke in
He proposed set up again the labour supply inspectorate available
during the war and would do all he could to foster and encourage joint
"There's no way out of our economic difficulties except by
hard work intelligently applied and done with will. Nothing is more calculated to encourage intelligence and will than reliable channels of
All men of communication from management to shop floor and back again." goodwill were united in their determination regain our national prosperity, said the Minister and most effective use of manpower could make great
contribution to this end.
Sir Walter concluded "what could defeat our purpose would be reckless
I therefore welcome use of industrial weapons for political purposes.
resolute speeches of Mr. Robens some of his colleagues and responsible
leaders of trade unions who have condemned such courses and they are the
very negation of democracy."
Page 50f8SMISSION SEVEN LPS
Page 50
Page 5EXTRACT FROM OFFICIAL REPORT OF.
HONG KONG (DISTURBANCE)
Mr. John Dugdale (by Private Notice) asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any statement to make on the recent disturbance in Hong Kong.
The Secretary of State for the Colonies (Mr. Oliver Lyttelton): Yes, Sir. I wel- come the opportunity to make a statement on the disturbance in Hong Kong last Saturday since some of the published reports were exaggerated.
In November last year a fire broke out in Tung Tao village, an area just east of Kowloon, and some 10,000 persons were made homeless. The Hong Kong Gov- ernment took immediate steps to resettle the homeless. A few weeks ago a group of people from Canton, styling themselves the Comfort Mission, proposed to visit the Colony and distribute aid to the Tung Tao Village Fire Victims." These persons made unofficial approaches to ascertain whether they could enter Hong Kong and were told that permission would not be given for the Mission as such to enter the Colony.
44
On 27th February inquiries were made whether representatives of the donors of money collected in Canton, as distinct from a Comfort Mission, would be allowed entry the next day. These inquiries were answered to the effect that if written application were made and a programme submitted, consideration would be given to the request, but that any visit could not take place before 9th March. This was the position on the night of Friday, 29th February.
On the morning of Saturday the Hong Kong Government learnt that the Chinese Chamber of Commerce had heard by tele- phone from Canton that the proposed visit of the Comfort Mission was postponed. It is understood that this information was passed to the Federation of Trades Unions, but it seems that the rank and file of these Unions continued in ignorance of the true position. A large crowd assembled at Kowloon railway station to greet the 3 p.m. train on which they had been led to expect that the Mission would arrive.
In the meantime, a welcome party had set out for the border, but as they did not possess passes for the frontier zone they were held on its perimeter, and one of the party went on to the border to meet the Mission, which had spent the night at Shum Chun, just across the frontier. Later he returned with his party to Kowloon and announced to those assembled that the Mission had been postponed.
The crowds proceeded to disperse. However, a false rumour started that the Mission had actually arrived and was being detained in the border area and a group or groups in the crowd who had come prepared to cause trouble there- upon proceeded to do so. A police vehicle and two private cars were over- turned and a police station was stoned. The police used tear gas and a Chinese police lance-corporal, finding himself about to be overrun by the mob, fired one round from a shotgun, slightly wounding three Chinese males, who were detained in hospital overnight.