CO129-479 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1923 [1-3] — Page 440

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CONFIDENTIAL.

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No.

Let Tip

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7679

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONGKONG. 6th March, 1923.

435

My Lord Duke,

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For

17498

In a hobe despatch of even date I am forwarding to Your Grace for the signification of His Majesty's pleasure the Ordinance "to regulate certain forme of domestic service" which has been passed in order to effect the abolition of the mui-tasi system.

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You 10729

2.

In my head despatch of January 24th

I informed Your Grace that I understood that when the second reading of this measure was brought forward the Unofficial Members of Council would ask for a long adjourn- ment with a view to bringing forward counter-proposals and that at the moment of writing I was doubtful as to whet would be the wisest policy to adopt if they should do so. As will be seer from the reports of the debates enclosed in my numbered despatch the Unofficial Members changed their minds on this point. Their reason, if my information is

correct, wee that the Chinese Members felt that if the Government insisted on passing the measure, after they had

opposed it, the labour guilds who, as I stated in my previous qtii despatch, were endeavouring to exploit the situation for political purposes, would claim that this

was due to their support of the proposed law and that they

had therefore won a victory over the representatives of the 'bourgeoisie',

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3.

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THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

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THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE, K.O.,

+ Not furiated

&c..

&c. 7 No

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