INLAND: FOREIGN:
TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESSES:
MATHESONS, STOCK, LONDON.
MATHESONS, LONDON.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
MANSION HOUSE 5161 (6 LINES).
98
3. Lombard Street, London. E.C. 3.
10th July, 1947.
My dear Creech Jones,
Mr. Mitchell, the Secretary of the China Associa- tion, has just reported to me the gist of the proposed Constitutional changes in Hong Kong, as explained to him by Mr. Mayle at the Colonial Office.
Possibly it is too late for any alteration to be made, but I do feel that I ought to point out to you now, rather than later, certain very definite fears I have with regard to one or two important points.
as
First, as regards the Constitutional Council; you know, most of us who have had experience of Municipal Government in the Far East consider a Council of thirty members of mixed nationality too large. In a little place like Hong Kong it certainly is going to be difficult to find sufficient men of the requisite calibre.
Second, and far more fundamental, I believe it will be found that H.M.G. will have cause to regret in years to come if the Constitution is framed in such a way that inevitably there will be an Oriental majority. I understand the plan is to have fifteen Chinese and at least one Indian, against a maximum of thirteen British and one Portuguese. I believe that circum- stances are bound to arise when the Asiatic majority thus created will over-ride the remainder on questions which, from the point of view of Western standards or Imperial policy, are of first-class importance. I remember in the International Government of Shanghai we went to great lengths to preserve the "Western" position, which we did by retaining a casting vote. Experience had shown from the time when Chinese were first admitted to the Council that the Chinese and Japanese invariably thought and acted together. in the early stages of the Sino-Japanese War they almost invariably voted in unison on purely local Government issues against the non-Oriental representa- tives, and it was not until we ourselves were at war that sometimes Axis and non-Axis considerations caused the Chinese and Japanese to divide on certain issues. This point may or may not have been appreciated in all its fullness, but I do sincerely believe it is one which needs the very greatest caution.
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In the third place I feel I ought to voice a note of warning that in the Far East unfortunately there is no such thing as Trades Unions as we know them in this country. Thus I would strongly recommend that any reference to Trades Unions as such should be avoided in any Government statement, though this does not mean that I do not believe that some definite provision should be made for the representation of organised labour. As you know, the so-called Trades Unions in