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INWARD
TELEGRAM
TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES
FROM HONG KONG (Sir A. Grantham)
Simplex.
D. 29th January, 1952. R. 29th
警尊
19
16.45 hrs.
IMMEDIATE SECRET
No. 91.
Addressed to S. of S.
Repeated Commissioner General for the U.K.
in S.E.Asia, No. 28.
Saving to Peking, Tamsui, Manila, Tokyo, Bangkok,
and Sarawak and North Borneo (by Singapore).
January,
Intelligence telegram for week ending 28th
In the absenos of major developments, the nezvousness among the Chinese population of the Colony, reported in last week's telegram, tended to lessen during the first few days of the period under revisy, but increased again as a result of the official Foreign Ministry announcement broadcast from Peking on 26th January regarding recent events in Hong Kong. The statement that these events are not regarded as local incidents, but as a "serious new development in H.M.G.'s policy of hostility towards the Central Peoples Government" has, in particular, put a stop to much wishful thinking among the Chinese community, who have hitherto derived much comfort from the fact that Hong Kong problems have not been given international significance in Chinese official statements.
2.
There is no change in the estimate of regular troops in areas X and Y. Overall total remains at 163,000.
3.
Seven ships cleared for China mainland ports during the week, of which two were for North China. On 25th, an Asiatic Petroleum Company tug, towing a lighter with a cargo of heavy oil to Macao for use by the electric light company there, was intercepted by a C.P.G. patrol ship and subsequently taken under escort to the customs station at Lappa. Full details are not yet known, as the tug had no wireless and could not report circumstances of interception, but it seems probable that strong winds forced her off her course and into Chinese waters near Kau Chau, north east of Macao. A.P.C. are conducting negotiations for release of the ships through a Chinese intermediary and consider that there are fair prospects of success.
4.
An unusually large consignment of duck feathers, worth about Hong Kong dollars five million and weighing 577 tons, was shipped on 14th January to Rotterdam for onward forwarding to Budapest.
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Page 110 KONG'S TRADE
!
UNION RIVALRY
Communist Influence
Increasing
GROWING UNREST
From FRANK ROBERTSON,
"The Scotsman" Special Correspondent HONG-KONG (by Air Mail.)-Chinese Com- munists have infiltrated and organised important sections of Hong-Kong's labour force so successfully that they are now prob- ably in a position seriously to disrupt life in the colony if they so choose.
By no means all of Hong-Kong's many Trade Unions are Communist-dominated, but some of the most important among them-princi- pally the utilities, seamen's, and dockyard workers' Unions-are strongly influenced, if not directed, by the Peking regime.
is
Most of the colony's labour force organised in two blocs. The larger organisa- tion, the Trades Union Council, is influenced by the Chinese Nationalists and receives unofficial support from the Kuomintang Free China Labour League in Formosa.
More than 100 Unions joined forces to form the Council in December 1948, but only after the Communists had got away to a good start by organising the Federation of Trades Unions some months earlier.
The Federation has only half as many members as the Council, but its Unions are more important, better organised, and more tightly controlled; many of the Council Unions are little more than old-type Chinese guilds, weakened by corruption and petty politics. OPEN COMPETITION
Since 1948 the Nationalists and Communists have been competing fairly openly for control of Hong-Kong's Trade Unions. The Com- munists. aided considerably by Britain's recognition of the Peking Government, have been much the more sucessful.
Although strong, the Communists have seldom chosen to show their hand, however. The only occasion on which they have done! so was two years ago, when tram workers came out on strike for almost three months.
Hong-Kong's glittering façade hides much that is ugly and pitiful. There is a great deal of unemployment, the cost of living is rising steadily, and many thousands among the colony's greatly swollen population are living in direst poverty.
To-day there are perceptible signs of restiveness and there is a good chance that
Page 12 ml 8akers will strike again.
It is not yet clear, however, that the Com- munists are behind this growing unrest, for the deterioration of the colony's economy alone could easily be the cause.-Copyright.
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