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HONGAID LONDON MONSER LANCING
16 SEP 1374
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PARKER BISHOP LANCING
PLEASE PASS FOR THE URGENT ATTENTION OF MR. BOXALL
VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT. OF ITEM ON RADIO 4 WORLD THIS WEEKEND 15/9/74
1.P.M.
ANNOUNCER: IN THE LAST WEEK OR SO, ONE OF BRITAIN'S LAST REMAINING COLONIES, ONE OF THE STRANGEST, HAS BEEN IN THE HEADLINES THROUGH SEPARATE, BUT RELATED STORIES - NONE OF THEM FLATTERING TO THE COLONY OR TO THE AUTHORITIES WHO RUN IT. THE COLONY IS HONG KONG AND THE NEWS HAS BEEN OF GROWING DISCONTENT ON THE SHOPFLOOR AND ON THE STREETS. 1 GEEEE IN THE LAST TEN DAYS A RESEARCH GROUP HAS PUBLISHED A HIGHLY CRITICAL SURVEY OF SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF THE MASS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND A WESTMINSTER M.P.HAS CALLED FOR A ROYAL COMMISSION.
THE FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS IN THE ISLAND, DESPAIRING AT THEIR SITUATION, RECENTLY BEGAN A PEKING-STYLE REORGANISATION OF THEIR OWN AND IN THE LAST DAY OR SO THERE HAVE BEEN STREET DEMONSTRATIONS, GIVING RISE TO FEAR OF MORE SERIOUS DISTURBANCES. SO JUST WHAT IS GOING ON IN HONG KONG?
NICK ROSS HAS BEEN FINDING OUT:
N. ROSS: HONG KONG, OF COURSE, IS A FLASHY TRADING POST LIVING ON SORROWED TIME, UNDER SUFFEREANCE FROM MAINLAND CHINA - AN ANOMALY. A VESTIGE OF BRITISH EMPIRE, AND THERE ARE TWO WORLDS WITHIN ITS NARROW CONFINES, THE WORLD OF THE BUSINESSMEN AND TOURISTS. THEIR THOROUGHFARES OF AIR-CONDITIONED OFFICES AND HOTELS AND THE WORLD OF THE BACK STREETS, DOWN WHICH EUROPEANS RARELY VENTURE, BUT THIS GIRL LIVED THERE AND KNOWS THEM WELL.
EVERY MORNING I MEET THE SORT OF PEOPLE WE CALL COOLIE'.
GIRL:
N. ROSS:
COOLIES?
GIRL: YES, AND THEY JUST, YOU KNOW. ARE CROWDED AROUND RESTAURANTS, WAITING FOR PEOPLE TO EMPLOY THEM - THEY ARE NOT THAT WELL DRESSED AND YOU SEE HOW DESPERATE THESE PEOPLE ARE. HOUSES ARE ACTUALLY VERY CROWDED AND, WELL, THE STREETS ARE VERY VERY DIRTY. YOU CA NNOT IMAGINE HOW DIRTY IT IS.
N. ROSS: STARTLED BY THIS PICCTURE OF POVERTY, THE HONG KONG RESEARCH PROJECT WAS FORMED AND IT WAS THEIR REPORT LAST WEEK. THE CULMINATION OF THREE YEARS WORK, THAT NOW GIVES SOME TANGIBLE EVIDENCE OF COLONIAL LIFE FOR THE MASXES. THEIR CHAIRMAN
WALTER EASY.
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