HONG KONG

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 110, 11 May 1935, Page 31

HONG KONG

BRITISH OUTPOST

LINKS WITH THE EMPIRE

PACIFIC AFFAIRS

Following the recent'visit of Air Ministry and Royal Air Forte officials to Hong Kong, an English newspaper published there states that more and more it becomes apparent that events are forcing Hong Kong into the forefront of Pacific affairs. , One hopes, "and would like' to believe^ comments the paper, that all who have; at ijeart the progressive improve- - ment of business and cultural relations between the British: and Chinese people, whether they live here or at . Home, will see that Hong Kong is ready to'-playjts part in the.onward and irresistible march ('of events. One result must be to draw Hong Kong and, Singapore closer together. At present their only bsnd is that of inter-port sporting encojinters, but a little thought will show they share 1 mutual interests on quite a considerable scale, and they are] such as lend themselves to considerable expansion, greatly to the advantage of British trade with the Chinese. Just as the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge existed in the minds of a few before pen was put to paper to bring it into concrete form, so; the moment in which Anglo-Chinese interests can best be worked out for the. mutual benefit of both, and iof the rest of the world, must be thought out long in advance. -' ; One of the first needs is a widening of mental horizons'to envisage what is meant when relation with, the Chinese is discuss"cd.' ' . Too long * has China, been discussed as if it centred round Shanghai, with Hong Kong occupying the position of a poor relation. A nice quiet place to retire to when ,pyertwrough.t by-the hectic life of the*,great metropolis. . WEALTH IN SOUTH. Let us glance at the r.-facts. The business and commerce <of China is very largely in the hands of born in< the southern 'provinces. Although they have emigrated to Shanghai and contributed . largely to' the building up of the -great wealth and ; prominent position of Shanghai, they have also emigrated to'Siam, Malaya, and the Dutch East Indies. ,: In these rich areas thejr have likewise contributed very greatly to their development, and in Malaya.particularly, it is no exaggeration to say that 1 it would have been impossible-for the country ; to have reached its -present prosperity without .he Chinese. Today they form nearly half the total . population, but they possess a very much greater percentage of the buying power and of the control of that country's total business. And, be it remembered, every one of them is a native of the part of China lying within a short distance of Hong Kong. * Now whattdoes that .mean from a jsi-acticai.poiiitr bf view .when trying to visualiseV.tJie; future developments of Anglo^Clunese^relations?;•.-',-. 1..-: ; KEORIENTATION OF IDEAS. Without^id6ub!t'«':thel'm'ost important fact is that the British, merchant must reorientate ' his^. ideas'. "ol- where ■':' this China market is, and of•• what, it eon- '■ sists. He . must shed his habit of thinktog of it in terms of territory, and consider it rather in terms of people. People are markets—not territory. ..-•■■■ Today one of-the markets in China •*" rfs ~fnat""bf"tfie" Soulfiern' Chinese,' an"d* :the Southern- Chinese market consists prinuirily of:': the people in the pro* vinces of South China and of Malaya, and of /all that area reached through the British ports of Hong Kong and Singapore. Thus visualised, how largely- must loom the large market of the Southern Chjnesg/in the schemes of trade de-velopmenL-between. the people of the British* Empire and.the Chinese. What are ( likely .to '.be the principal implica-. tions'-'of such'a change, .when it occurs? "'-'_, ' • ' It is interesting to recall that at one time"'in1 the early'history. of Hong Kong \-\Vi was intended that the Governor, of,, Hong Kong should be the representative of the British Government '"injChina. Is it beyond the bounds, .of, .possibility that once again Hong Kong'will play a far more important role-in cementing relations between these two great trading people, the British and Southern Chinese, as the principal seat of the official Bri-> tish representation? VARYING EXCHANGES. Another point-that must arise when it becomes more "^widely' recognised that Hong' Kong and Singapore are but the-northern,^ and southern entry ports of one territory, is the question of the varying exchange between the two places! And on this subject we cannot do better.than quote Mr. W.-F. Spalding, who contributes regularly such enlightening articles to "The Times" Trade and Engineering Supplement. ■ ' ■ •A* a result, he says, of Hong Kong being on a silver basis and Singapore on sterling a position arises "that many: firms in the United Kingdom entirely fail to comprehend." When silver, and the Hong. Kong exchange falls, Singapore dealers place their orders with Hong Kong rather than London: with' a rising silver and exchange market Hong Kong dealers order from Singapore, rather than from Hong Kong importers. Thus much business passes by Hong Kong, when its dollar appreciates, undoubtedly contributing to the "depression." The remedy for this, Mr. Spalding says, is.for British firms to have an office in both places so that "they would at least'have the satisfaction of knowing that what came .out of one pocket would go into the other, pocket of the same firm rather than into the , exchequer of someone else"—as- is the case when there is a branch in other parts of China. Thus we see, from'only using these two examples, what great changes are likely to take place within the "time that the majority of people now,- in Hong Kong are still in active service. GRADUAL CHANGES. Such .changes do not take place'suddenly. They, start imperceptibly, . gathering momentum v and becoming noticeable to. a.large! and dtiD larger circle of people-4until they happenMany such changes:,are taking place before one's eyes,, and Hong Kong willingly, or. unwillingly, must recognise them. • -;- ■ .'; The coming of .Imperial Airways is one such change. The holding of the British Empire and China Trade Fair is another. Linked together .in the common purpose of opening up afcd improving business relations and trading opportunities between the British and Chinese, both enterprises: are. contributing towards the awakening of Hong Kong to a better realisation of her destiny as the British outpost on the Pacific.

Coalmining is one of Britain's1 most Jangerous occupations. One In every' five miners was. injured and one in svery 960 killed in the last year ior which complete figures are available.

The crew of the British ship Longbird lived on sugar and water.for five days during a terribly stormy voyage from Bermuda to New York.