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In this despatch, the Secretary of State, whilst appreciating the difficulties in the field of social policy caused by the influx of refugees into Hong Kong and the pre-occupation with defence and internal security measures, specifically requested that early consideration should be given to the first two of Mr. Chinn's recommendations.
3. The Governor of Hong Kong commented on these recommendations in a despatch dated the 14th November, 1950, a copy of which together with its enclosures is attached at Appendix C. In this despatch the Governor rejects Mr. Chinn's first recommendation, namely, that a separate department of Social Welfare should be established, broadly on the grounds that it is convenient in a number of ways for the Social Welfare Officer to be gazetted as Assistant Secretary for Chinese Affairs and that far from considering it harmful for the Social Welfare Office to be so closely associated with the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs, he considers this positively helpful. The Governor accepts Mr. Chinn's second recommendation and states that a Deputy Social Welfare Officer will be available as from the present time until April next when he is due to go on leave. Meanwhile the Governor is looking for a suitable replacement.
4.
The despatch at Appendix C also contains some interesting enclosures. In enclosure 1 is a list of the large number of activities now wholly or mainly undertaken by the Social Welfare Office. Enclosure 2 contains details of the new ground which has been broken during the past 12 months and of the policy which will be pursued in the various fields. Enclosure 3, embodies a brief commentary on Mr. Chinn's recommendations with an indication of the general line which Hong Kong are going to take on these.
5. Mr. Chinn's first two recommendations have already been dealt with above. Of his other recommendations the Governor has accepted Nos. 4 and 5 dealing with the treatment of delinquency and the training of social workers. Recommendation No. 3, that a survey of voluntary organisations should be undertaken with a view to co-ordination, appears to have been accepted in principle. A survey of all the important voluntary organisations has already been carried out and a certain amount of co-ordination in some fields has been achieved. The suggested Social Welfare Council does not however appear likely to come into being. The action, to be taken on recommendations 6(i) and (11) regarding a Children and Young Persons Ordinance depends on study of the matter by the Principal Probation Officer recently arrived in the Colony. Recommendation 6(iii) regarding statutory provision for dealing with relief is not accepted.
6. The Reports Sub-Committee are invited to comment on this latest communication from the Governor of Hong Kong.
15 VICTORIA STREET,
S. W. 1.
5th January, 1950.
2.