CO129-523-6 Criticism of Hong Kong Administration 29-1-1930 - 3-3-1930 — Page 5

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As regards the Lunicipality, there

is at present no municipality.

Writer

I imagine the

means that there should be one.

?

I doubt whether in a fortress like Hong Kong

this is possible, unless the municipality

were controlled by Government.

I agree that

an effort should be made to employ more

Chinese./ I don't quite see why it is

useless to refer things to the merchants until

the Government have decided on their policy,

surely the object of consulting the merchants

is to endeavour to form a policy which will

suit them. Unfortunately the merchants at

Shanghai don't always agree with the

merchants at Hong Kong, any more than the

Minister and the Governor do. The idea

of a High Commissioner for China has occurred

to me, but owing to the great distance and

the amount of work I don't think it is

feasible.

Sir M.Lampson in the 3 years or more

he has been at Pekin has never found time

to visit Hong Kong (except to see his dying

wife). Moreover China is a world problem

with important complications in America,

Australia and Geneva; the superman to deal

with it is or ought to be at the Foreign

Office or in Downing Street.

I propose that I hand a copy of

this to the new Governor and discuss with him

on the lines of this minute, and (if he

agrees) tell Messrs Swire that a copy will

be