TNAG-0003-FCO40-39-Commission-of-Enquiry-into-the-Kowloon-disturbances-addition-1968 — Page 156

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PART VI CONCLUSIONS

501. Employment and Wages. Whilst working conditions have certainly im- proved it would appear from the evidence of some of the young people involved in the disturbances that working conditions still leave room for improvement and that long hours spent at unrewarding jobs can be a powerful stimulus in a quest for excitement which often leads to anti-social behaviour. But legislation alone is unlikely to provide a solution to this problem since the major contribution to the improvement in conditions must come from a continuing growth in our economy and the capital necessary for growth will not be retained in or attracted to Hong Kong unless the rewards for investment are better here than in other places, which can offer greater stability through the existence of a large domestic market and/or a more settled international situation. Nor can we afford to add to these handicaps a threat of internal unrest. In this the community needs the active co-operation of its young people. Whilst endeavouring to improve their lot, we must also try to make them realize that the efforts of those who strive to better working and living conditions here can never be crowned with substantial success if the behaviour of the very people they are trying to help provides a threat to the internal security and economic health of the community.

(C) Social Conditions

502. Public discussion of the major social services in Hong Kong, in particular of housing and education, has recently increased and certain aspects of these were brought to our attention as causes of some unrest or dissatisfaction. But the social workers who drew attention to these factors did not claim them to be direct causes of the riots and they were scarcely mentioned by the rioters themselves as being motives for their participation.

503. On the other hand, most of the participants in the disturbances were comparatively poorly educated, poorly housed and poorly employed, as has been shown to be the pattern in many other riots elsewhere, and there was a feeling among social workers who gave evidence that, since demonstrations and rioting are abnormal behaviour in Hong Kong, there must be economic and social reasons for the disturbances. Alternatively, it was suggested that the existence of an undercurrent of suppressed frustrations and resentment provided fuel for the spread of the disturbances.

504. The factors most frequently alluded to were deficiences or defects in (i) Housing, (ii) Environment: physical and social; (iii) Education and (iv) Com- munity Spirit.

(i) Housing

505. Evidence from social welfare circles laid stress on the fact that the riots had broken out in the most congested areas of Kowloon and suggested that over- crowded housing conditions may have been a causative factor.

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