TNAG-0225-FCO40-261-Ministerial-meetings-on-internal-affairs-of-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 8

Confidential

hand, these areas were frequently the cause of

damaging eritieiem by tourists and other outside

will recall

visiters and you could not be expected in view of

an accelerdin

the Prime Minister's personal interest in thie

of the rehousing of remaining squettes) question to fet matters rest. All you were asking

for was for a full study of the problem to be made

available to you.

The Governor said that

consideration of these matters could not be taken

out of the hands of the Housing Beard. I agreed,

and the Governor agreed to put the problem again

his Houms

to the Board, for reconsideration of their previous

advice and a further study of the problem of

squatters on Crown Land not needed for development,

since it was here the remaining problem lay.

for at best an intermi

It

was agreed to aim at a report by the Housing Board The available

in a couple of months' time.

Lin

Ombudsman

6.

The Office of the Unofficial Members of the

Executive and Legislative Councils has recently been

strengthened by the appointment of a senior officer

in the Administrative Service as full time

Administrative Secretary. Members of the public

use this office as a means of bringing their

grievances to the notice of the authorities, and I

agreed with the Governor that we should see how

The

of string them's the Office of Unoffice Members of the Execution of thie experiment/developed over the next nine months

and then look at the question again.

7. I was able to discuss many other questions

while I was in the Colony and all in all I found my

visit most rewarding.

7. Love Gort.

for

lle

Legislative Commels

Profords for reforming The Urban Comcil have been hangin's fire a long time! I rold The Governor that it was time decisions ver teabed. expects to fat finde proporcls the part to his Execution Connent in

duras

The hist

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W(B)L 51-7406

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7.

I was able to discuss many other

questions while I was in the Colony, the most

important of which were:

(a) Use of Chinese as an "official" language.

Ι

This is largely an emotional issue, but one

which could give rise to serious trouble, and

it does provide a focus for malcontents.

told the Governor that it/seemed to me that,

apart from the setting up of a committee to

look into the matter, which has been done, I

thought that he would be wise to take certain

practical measures to defuse the situation,

and with his approval I was able to throw out

some ideas at my final press conference.

(b)

There is no doubt that post-primary

technical education is Hong Kong's greatest

educational need now that universal primary

education has been achieved. There is a

tendency on the Government's part to see this

as the responsibility of those who will use

je idurry, the products of technical schools/

I

disagreed. As an encouragement to the Govern-

ment to pursue the projected plan for setting

up technical institutes I think we might

offer to pay for the machinery (British of

course) to be installed. This would have

the added effect of encouraging the use of

British pachinery generally. I doubt if the

cost would be as much as £100,000 for each

a

institute and this would be/useful and not

too expensive way of demonstrating HMG's

sive

interest in the Colony.

8%.

All in all I found

wit to the

may

Colony both interesting ant rewarding

age 9

age 9

Seeret

Confidentie

19

Note for the Record

со

7/9/1

RECPVO IN

REGISTRY Nɔ. 51

THICK 1/20

Mr. Royle decided on arrival in Hong Kong to take an

early opportunity to speak to the Governor privately about his exchange of letters with the Secretary of State. This private talk was to pave the way for further examination in detail of the proposals in the Secretary of State's letter. In fact after the Governor had had an opportunity to explain how resentful he felt about the implication (sic) of the Secretary of State's letter that no thought had been given by him to these subjects in the past (!), agreement was reached between Mr. Royle and

the Governor on the future handling of the points raised by the

Secretary of State. Mr. Royle embodied this agreement in a

draft minute to the Secretary of State which was agreed (eventually) with the Governor and a copy left with him. (Further copy attached.)

2. This device was designed to ensure that the agreement was not subsequently evaded on the Hong Kong side and in particular that the time limits involved in it were fully understood.

3. Mr. Royle will not in fact necessarily wish to report to the Secretary of State precisely in the terms agreed with the Governor. The latter included a good deal of administrative detail with which the Secretary of State need not be troubled.

4. At Mr. Royle's final meeting with the Governor and his officials on 13 October, it was agreed to aim at a report by the Housing Board (even of an interim nature) in a couple of months'

time.

5.

Copy of the Governor's minute to the Secretariat on

housing is also attached.

Стои

Ливирла

(L. Monson)

21 October, 1970.

пири

form of short retrunion which My Royle mugur

Please consider

sand the Sofs

winer

Confidential secret