CO129-629-2 Arrangements for the reception of the Hong Kong delegation to the British Industries Fair 1-4-1950 - 31-7-1950 — Page 14

HONG KONG'S PROGRESS AND DIFFICULTIES

A LUNCHEON

was given at the Save Hotel in

honour of the Hong Kong delegation to the British Industries Fair.

The Secretary of State for the Colonies, Mr. James Griffiths, who presided, in a speech welcoming the delegates said :--

I have great admiration for the energy and resource which the people of Hong Kong, and the business community in particular, have shown in dealing with the considerable problems which have followed the war, resulting from the unsettled conditions in the Far East. One of the more pressing during 1950 was the great increase in the population of Hong Kong which rose during the year to over 2,300,000 the highest in the history of the Colony. This, of course, caused a pressing demand for housing and in this connection I am particularly happy to hear that Mr. U Tat Chee has set an excellent example by sponsoring a non-profit making housing scheme.

Progress in Education

I would also like to congratulate Mr. U Tat Chee on his appointment to the Court of Hong Kong University, and I am pleased to note that the University are going ahead with their rehabilitation programme and that His Majesty's Govern- ment's grant of £500,000 will materially assist in this work. The re-habilitation of the University is but one aspect of Hong Kong's remarkable recovery in the field of education in which the number of children attending school has risen from a mere 4,000 in 1945, to well over 150,000 in 1950 with further expansion being pro- vided for. Other encouraging and credit- able signs of the great step forward is the

progress in the provision of essential social services.

In view of Hong Kong's position as perhaps the greatest distributing centre for a large number of other countries in the Far East, it was gratifying to see the November trade figures standing at an all time record of HK$869.9 million. Since then, owing to fresh difficulties caused by the international situation the trade figures have not remained at this high level. In February imports fell by 23.6% compared with the January imports of HK$345.9 million and exports went down by 17.6% compared with HK$448.1 million in January, although I notice that exports rose in March to HK$556.7 million and imports to HK$535.1 million. I know that there are difficulties now over raw maetrials for some of the industries, and that it will call on the skill and energy of the business community to surmount them.

I would like to assure you as representa- tives of that community that we in Great Britain realise your difficulties, which we of course are also meeting. We realise your essential needs for raw materials and we are doing our very best to assist you to obtain them. I hope that your own efforts to secure chemicals and metals and other raw materials and consumer goods in this country will be successful.

Despite the unsettled conditions in the Far East I am glad to note that Hong Kong sets an example of courage and common sense in a difficult period, and I wish to repeat the assurances that have been made before that His Majesty's Government have every intention of discharging their responsibilities in Hong Kong both as regards defence and the welfare of the population.