CO129-629-8 Social policy 1-12-1949 - 31-12-1951 — Page 89

NOTES OF A MEETING IN THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S

OFFICE ON 30TH JUNE, 1950.

PRESENT:

Secretary of State

Sir Alexander Grantham (Governor, Hong Kong)

Sir C. Jeffries

Mr. Sidebotham

Mr. Chinn

Mr. Hall

89

SOCIAL POLICY.

Mr. Sidebotham said that this question had arisen as a result

He had

of Mr. Rees-Williams' visit to Singapore and Hong Kong.

returned with the impression that there was a lack of civic conscience

in Hong Kong as compared with that in Singapore,

There were also no

civic buildings and the Government had not shown such initiative.

Sir C. Jeffries said that the question of the lack of housing in

Hong Kong had also been raised by the Archbishop of Canterbury with

Mr. Creech Jones though there is no record on the files of any

discussion with the Archbishop.

As a result Mr. Creech Jones had in-

atructed that a despatch should be sent to the Governor of Hong Kong

on the general question of social policy but that the preparation of

this should be left until after the General Election.

The Office had

discussed this with Mr. Nicoll, the Colonial Secretary, when he was

on leave and the papers had been kept to discuss with Sir A. Grantham.

Sir A. Grantham agreed that there is a lack of civic conscience

in Hong Kong but felt that it was an unavoidable state of affairs in

any territory with such a large migrant population as in Hong Kong.

In normal times, 300,000 persons a month moved in and out of Hong Kong

and the majority of the population did not regard Hong Kong as home;

they went to China to visit their ancestors tombs for the major festivals

and returned to China to die. He thought it would be impossible to

/achieve