TNAG-0393-FCO40-439-Diplomatic-reports-from-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Ho-1974 — Page 24

CONFIDENTIAL

香港總督府

SUVAD IN

NEONTAY tis. SA

Ref:

SCR 1/4841/55+

19 OCT 1973

NKK 13/6

Sir,

HK

GOVERNMENT HOUSE

HONG KONG

11 October, 1973.

16

See submmoris

18,6/11

In my Annual Review for 1972 I said that Hong Kong had blossomed from a singularly successful little colony into one of the great cities of the world. In this present despatch I should like to consider who has benefitted, and in what ways, from this transformation. While the advantages Hong Kong offers to its own population and to China are apparent, those accruing to the United Kingdom and its trading partners are less so, but they are nonetheless substantial.

The Local Population

2.

Although a great deal needs to be done here, and quickly, the most important beneficiaries of this blossoming have nevertheless been the people of Hong Kong themselves. A majority of its adult population are in Hong Kong because they believed life in Hong Kong would be preferable to that in China. By and large they have not been disappointed, and few if any have returned. This was confirmed during the disturbances in 1967 when an overwhelming majority of the population, by its actions and through organisations, indicated a clear preference for the status quo.

3.

This assessment of their lot is understandable. In the last 10 years real wages have risen by about 60% - to be the second highest in Asia - with a corresponding rise in the general standard of living. The proportion of hospital beds to population is the highest in Asia after Japan. The ownership of motor cars in Hong Kong stands at 29 per thousand of the population and of telephones at 158 per thousand. Working hours have been reduced and leisure time greatly increased; as has the money available to the average citizen of Hong Kong after payment of rent and food. Statistics apart the population know they are doing alright and have every prospect of doing better. Above all they know they are free to better themselves and their families to the best of their ability with a minimum of State interference in their lives. This all adds up to a way of life sufficiently attractive to outweigh the sense of exile from China.

The Rt. Hon. Sir Alec Douglas-Home, KT, MP.

CONFIDENTIAL