works and working conditions of women and children, we have provided for
compulsory holidays.and sickness benefits.
We have
"From our general revenues we have striven, and with some
success, to provide decent medical services, and education for a
population which is eight times what it was thirty years ago.
constructed public housing for 1 million people. Over 120,000 receive
allowances, as of right by reason of age or infirmity, or by way of
public assistance. We have committed ourselves to a series of programmes
which will greatly improve the conditions in which our people live.
are not the actions of a callous society.
These
RELATIONS WITH HMG
"In addition to the friction which may be caused by the
criticisms of press and reformers, there are occasions when it may seem
that HMG is not giving us the support, or the understanding of our needs,
which we feel we should get. Obvious recent examples of this are the
reintroduction of the death penalty, the imposition of trade restraints
and the defence costs agreement.
"When Britain's interests on a particular issue are not the same
as ours, we can hardly expect that ours will prevail, though I believe
that in practice they do receive more consideration than those of countries
which are not dependencies of Britain.
"We must not, however, hope for too much. No British Government,
however well disposed to Hong Kong, can afford to ignore domestic political
realities, or the financial and commercial interests of Britain.
"As to the death penalty, the constitutional position is
that there is a right to petition the Queen, who acts on the advice of the
The latter is Secretary of State for Foreign Commonwealth Affairs.
answerable to Parliament and must therefore be satisfied that he can defend
the advice which he has tendered to the Crown if it is attacked in the
/llouse..