TNAG-0228-FCO40-264-Briefs-for-Governor-of-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 19

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

W(B)L 51-7406

Question 11

CONFIDENTIAL

In Singapore, primary education is free but

not compulsory. In Hong Kong, it is proposed

to provide free primary education for all by

1973. Total pupils compare as follows:-

Primary Secondary

Hong Kong 752,171 264,056

Singapore 366,881 147,581

Total

1,016,227

514,462

While Singapore may have more sophisticated

schools and teaching curricula, Hong Kong

has twice the number of pupils to cope with.

Question 13

Legalisation of gambling might bring

more crime to the Colony with even greater

burdens for the police. In the UK it has

been found that it is necessary to limit

gambling in order to control crime that

would otherwise be fostered by it.

Question 14

While in Britain murder is now no longer

punishable by death, and homosexual acts

between consenting adults in private is

not an offence, in Hong Kong the punishment

is still death and 2 years imprisonment

respectively.

Abortion is still illegal

in Hong Kong and caning can be ordered

for a number of offences. Censorship refers

presumably to films which are of course

censored in UK also. In the present state

of Hong Kong's development, it may be too

soon to remove these controls.

Question 16

There have been complaints in the Press

about dirty beaches in Hong Kong. But the

Government has been making efforts to

educate the public to keep beaches clean