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Orig. is 28 on 53518 | 34 Sec.
21.
EXTRACT FROM A CONFIDENTIAL DESPATCH FROM
SIR H. KNATCHBULL-HUGESSON TO MR. EDEN
DATED APRIL 9th 1937.
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20. In company with Sir Andrew Caldecott I visited
Kowloon City and inspected the three insatitary hovels
which are all that remain of the slum which has for so
long been a subject of controversy between the Chinese
and ourselves. I also saw the new site and the new
houses to which the remainder of the former Kowloon slum-
dwellers have already moved and satisfied myself at first
hand that the treatment they had received from the Hong
Kong Government was of a most generous character. I
agreed with Sir Andrew that the refusal of the three
remaining occupants of the slum houses to move must be
actuated by political motives supported by Canton, and
that since the effect was to make the Hong Kong Government
look ridiculous, the situation must be terminated without
delay. I arranged that I should be supplied with photographs
of the old and new premises in order to fortify the
announcement which I undertook to make to the Waichiaopu
as soon as I should learn that the Colonial Office had
authorised the demolition of the remaining shacks on the
old site.
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