CO129-629-8 Social policy 1-12-1949 - 31-12-1951 — Page 93

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NOTES OF THE MEETING WITH THE GOVERNOR

OF HONG KONG HELD AT 12.45 p.m.

on 21st JUNE.

PRESENT:

Sir Alexander Grantham

Mr. Paskin

Mr. Chinn

Mr. Dorman

Mr. Sidebotham

Miss Gwilliam

Mr. Hall

Mr. Fairclough

1. Social Policy - General.

(Governor of Hong Kong)

Mr. Paskin said that Mr. Creech Jones had given instructions that the Office should investigate what could be done to improve social conditions in Hong Kong; particular stress had been laid on bad housing conditions and this matter had also been raised by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The new Ministers had now seen the papers on this subject.

2. Civic Sense.

Mr. Paskin: went on to remark that Mr. Rees-Williams had returned from Hong Kong with the impression that the

· population was a collection of self-seeking individuals with no sort of civic consciousness; the point had also been made that there was no centre around which such consciousness might develop - for example there was not even a Town Hall.

The Governor agreed with this analysis but felt it was an inevitable state of affairs in any territory with such a large migrant population as in Hong Kong; a very large proportion of the working class population and those who ran small businesses were not permanent settlers in the Culony and a very considerable proportion too of those concerned with large businesses were also "temporary residents". of them looked to China and not to Hong Kong as their home and he did not see that anything could be done to alter this state of affairs. With reference to the Town Hall the Governor pointed out that the mere crection of a Town Hall or, for that matter, of other centros would no t develop civic consciousness.

All

Miss@william expressed the opinion that the matter really came back to the question of education and the sense of citizenship instilled in children. Even though ties would still be with China rather than with Hong Kong and people would look un themselves as citizens of China it might be that the practical outlet for such a sense of citizenship would be in Hong Kong.

/3.