fear of violent anti-Japanese agitation taking place,
while it would moreover give an assembling place for
ill-disposed Chinese to organise racial and industrial
unrest, drug smuggling and heroin manufacture, and
possibly also coastal piracy.
In his opinion, if we admitted Chinese
jurisdiction in Kowloon, our control of the whole
colony would be jeopardised.
As far as the Chinese
Government were concerned, it was purely a question of
prestige, but if we allowed this claim then they would
want more and would demand jurisdiction in the Leased
Territories.
He pointed out that a Chinese Magistrate
in Kowloon would in any case try to exercise a wider
jurisdiction over Chinese nationals within the
boundaries of the colony and that there would be a
constant effort on the part of the Chinese Government to
extend this jurisdiction. As an example of the
Chinese attitude towards the colony he said that when it
had been proposed to elect representatives for the China
Peoples' Council, the Chinese Government had arranged
publicity in Hong Kong for a member to be elected for
the "constituency of Hong Kong."
Mr. Gent said that he presumed Chinese law
would run in the city of Kowloon if Chinese jurisdiction
were exercised there and that, for example, the laws
regarding penalties for traffic in heroin and opium
would be enforced. These involved the death penalty
in many cases, and it seemed probable that great
exception by public opinion in this country would be
taken