TNAG-0071-FCO40-107-Disturbances-in-Hong-Kong-propaganda-1969 — Page 86

14

Report No.......HK.113...

Continuation No...5......

If

got no Unions, we've got no tradition of collective bargain- ing, well we have got Unions but they're terrifically split between the ultra Left Wing and the ultra Right Wing. the employers try and do something about it, to create a middle of the road movement, which they could bargain with, it would be condemned as a 'yellow' Union. No, I don't feel legislation is the answer. I feel the answer is higher wages. J. Pettifer: Why is Government weak on its labour front here? Mr. Davies: Well it's embraced this 19th Century laissez faire attitude, leave us alone, don't interfere, it's worked

well so far, why shouldn't it go on working, and it's very difficult to get through the head of a 55-year old bureau-

crat that the circumstances have changed. That's the

trouble. They don't want to intervene, there's no tradition for intervening and you can't persuade them that this is the 20th Century.

J. Pettifer: This being the case, what is your prediction for the coming year. Are you gloomy about it because of

this attitude?

•

After all, we've

which dominates us,

...

and

Mr. Davies: No, I'm very far from gloomy. come through '67 in which China economic co-operation with China is absolutely essential to the future of Hong Kong, its whole raison d'etre during that year, China has been putting politics to the fore and during that year, she stepped back from a con- frontation with Hong Kong. She didn't want to take it over, she didn't want to harm it too much, and so this, in my mind, constitutes the best guarantee we have for the future. I think the Year of the Monkey, 1968, is the year of the monkey for Chinese, the signs are set fair. Kenneth Allsop: Julian Pettifer, reporting from Hong Kong.

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