CO129-449 - Governor Sir May & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1918 [7-9] — Page 516

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

ENCLOSURE 20.2.

(1)

511

Your Excellency.

We have carefully considered your remarks at the inter-

view on Monday September 2nd, and feel bound to urge in

reply that the reasons advanced in deprecation of the

scheme of an Association do not seem to us to apply

sufficiently to the case.

In the first instance we are wholly unable to con-

ceive how the action of the Civil ervice in forming a

body to represent their interests to the Government end

the Secretary of State is of any ouolic importance, nor

how it could influence the ratepayers or others to take

action which would be detrimental to the interests of

the Colony.

If there are any evil anirits broad it can be

readily assumed that their influence will work somehow

sooner or later, whatever we may say or do in regard to

our own affairs, while it is to some extent probaole that

if they did look to the Association as en example, they

would see how one's business can be conducted in such a

careful and temperate manner as to give offence to none.

The mere fact of the creation of an Association in

not at all necesarry a a aŋur to action in a community

where all the fections are already sufficiently familiar

with Unions Guilds and other bodies of like nature.

we are also unasle to see how the matter of good

form can come in when it is understood that the Associa=

tion would conduct itself in quite an open and honest

manner: in fact confining its action to a temperately

expressed representation to the Government, or (in case

of irreconcileable difference of opinion) a lemorial to

the Bearetary of itate,

Coming to the question of the need for such an

Association we must point out that its sole purpose is

to ensure that the views of the bervice are fully

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