Yup of
enc.
KOWLOON SLUMS.
I mentioned this to Wang Chung-hui this evening. I
said I had received Hsu Mo's letter. I thought it most
unlikely that the Hongkong Government would agree to postpone
matters any longer. The original scheme, initiated in 1933,
had already been postponed for a long time in deference to
approaches by the Chinese authorities and, also in deference
to their representations, an offer had been put before the
residents which they could accept voluntarily. Out of 64
houses about 60 or 61 had accepted this offer and moved into
much better quarters and were contented. The Hongkong Govern-
ment were under an obligation to these. The remaining three
or four had evidently been prompted to resist for some ulterior
reason: it was unthinkable that they could have been encour ·
aged owing to the better conditions of their present abodes.
The Hongkong Government must carry out their scheme.
Nevertheless, I had telegraphed Mr. Hsu Ho's letter to
Hongkong and the Foreign Office and asked Hongkong to let me
know the present position, whether they had already acted and
what the effect had been.
I then went over the grounds on which Hongkong based
their right to act, beginning with the events of 1899. I said
that for 50 years there had been no question raised as to our
position. Moreover, when the question of these slum clear-
ances had been raised a few years ago the War Office and Air
Ministry had stated quite definitely that the existence in
Kowloon City of Chinese administration would be entirely
incompatible with military needs and the Governor held the
view that the possibility of anti-Japanese or Communist
demonstration there could not be contemplated. I could only
state to him our standpoint and say that I had no authority
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