CO129-629-8 Social policy 1-12-1949 - 31-12-1951 — Page 32

4.

13. All these things are things which have been done. There simply is not

time to outline further activities for the public welfare which have reached an advanced stage of planning or preparation more schools, more St. John Ambulance work, more medical aid, boys and girls clubs, public libraries, a day nursery, social surveys, more recreational facilities, etc. Everything which has been done and everything which is planned has only one aim: to improve the general welfare of each Kaifong's own district so that the residents of that district may feel a justifiable pride in belonging to it and a real interest in maintaining and developing the all-round physical, mental and moral well-being of their own community. This of course includes the creation

of better opportunities for the hitherto under-privileged.

140 Briefly, how are these Kaifong Welfare Associations organised?

Membership is open to any sane adult living or working in the district on payment of an entrance fee no higher than $10 and an annual subscrip ion of 85. Firms established in the district can also join, usually at double the

fees. By the end of July 1951 there were over 70,000 members. Officers are elected for one year's service by secret ballot, usually from out of a very large number of candidates. During the last twelve months a number of these Associations have entered on their second year: it has been the men of action, whether poor, middle-class or rich, and not the talkers who have been elected by substantial majorities to the key offices. The aims and objects of all genuine Kaifong Welfare Associations are strictly limited to practical welfare undertakings, which are usually described in some detail in their printed constitutions. There is one more important point. In practice the whole movement is almost entirely Chinese, and all meetings are conducted in Cantonese.

15.

There is an interesting and in its way a very encouraging sidelight on the development and value of the genuine Kaifong Welfare Associations' work. That is the way in which all sorts of other organisations are aiming to climb on the bandwagon and to profit from what they hope will be reflected glory. All is not gold that glitters. I can assure you that all that is labelled "Kaifong" or "Welfare" is not necessarily either. Sometimes the deception, if indeed it is a conscious deception at all, is a very mild one.

For instance, when some small well-meaning organisation tries to appear more important and more effective than it ever could be by labelling itself as a kaifong, or when it tries to give itself additional kudos by including the word "welfare" in its name on the strength of one very small part of its harmless activities. But there have been other examples of groups of criminal or possibly political racketeers who have now found that it can pay to make their own use of the words "Kaifong" and "Welfare" to squeeze so-called contributions from members of the public or to solicit funds from business firms or the public generally. Of course something is being done about this, but that is too long a story to go into now.

16.

Before I close I would like to refer to ono unforesoon result of the long

At first the preparatory work which is put in by all these Associations. movement was 99% male, and many wives found themselves becoming what one might call "Kaifong widows". Worse was to follow. Husbands would return home late at night, often on week-ends, and report that they had been working hard at some lengthy committee meeting. I regret to say that some wives retorted that they had heard that one before, and what was all this kaifong business about? There was only one solution. The women's side of the kaifong's practical social work is now being seriously developed and the wives are being encouraged to come in on it too. This revolutionary idea has been taken very well, on the whole, by the conservatively minded Chinese men. Though there was an anguished flutter in the dove-cotos when one Kaifong Welfare Association nearly went so far as to discuss the possibility of a woman chairman for its executive committee.

17.. In conclusion I would like to say that my own feeling is that the genuine

Kaifong and similar organisations have achieved an astonishing and most encouraging amount of sound work. It is important, too, to remember always that each of them works primarily for the people of its own district.

The

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