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not pushed to the point of being a bore.
37.
For explaining government activities the main channels are the Public Enquiry Service counters operated from all permanent City District Offices, the monthly meetings
I have already mentioned and ad hoc meetings on, for instance, disruption caused by public works, town plans, new legislation or any topic of special local concern. Speeches at functions and the shop window displays are more a one way effort as are various uses of publicity media.
38.
The mechanism for disseminating policies can be developed further but our useful- ness is often limited by our own lack of knowledge of policy. If we have a full dress meeting on the Employment Ordinance we naturally invite a Labour Department spokesman but when a C.D.O. is talking to a factory manager or a group of workers about a sports function and the subject comes up casually he has to rely on his own knowledge. A worker in a factory gone bankrupt wants to know all the details of his rights and we cannot hope to supply this. But a teacher or undergraduate stating that labour legislation is hopelessly inadequate can be met with a much less detailed knowledge, and this is the sort of knowledge which all our officers should have.
39.
Acquiring enough knowledge about government policies so as not to appear ignorant is not easy. I am not sure what the remedy is. One C.D.O. has suggested a Headquarters officer should prepare occasional Policy Briefs and I am considering this. These would go further than the pamphlets prepared for the P.E.S. but would involve us in doing the work with, I hope,
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