Governors, Politics and the Colonial Office： Public Policy in Hong Kong, 1918－58

This book explores the making of public policy for Hong Kong between 1918 and 1958. During much of this period, the Hong Kong government had limited policymaking capabilities. Many new policies followed initiatives either from the Colonial Office or from politicians in Hong Kong. This book examines the balance of political power influencing how such decisions were reached and who wielded the most influence—the Hong Kong or British governments or the politicians. Gradually, the Hong Kong government, through implementing new policies, improved its own policy-making capabilities and gained the ability to exercise greater autonomy.

The policy areas covered by this book include the implementation of rent controls in 1922, the management of Hong Kong's currency from 1929 to 1936, the resolution of the financial dispute over matters arising from World War II, the origins of Hong Kong's public housing and permanent squatter resettlement policies, negotiations over Hong Kong’s contribution to its defence costs and the background to the granting of formal financial autonomy in 1958.

Governors, Politics and the Colonial Office will be of interest to historians and political scientists, and to anyone with a general interest in the social, economic and political development of Hong Kong.

Gavin Ure is a former Administrative Officer with the Hong Kong government. He is now Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Social Science at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

"In this meticulously researched book, based on archival sources, Gavin Ure explores the important issue of how Hong Kong's colonial rulers made public policy. Through a careful examination of key political, economic and social questions, he shows how local administrators were able to wrest autonomy from the British government and to run the colony on their own terms. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in Hong Kong's history and the policies that have shaped the modern city." — Ian Scott, author of The Public Sector in Hong Kong

"Who governs Colonial Hong Kong—London or the officials sent from Britain? The issue of autonomy is central to our understanding of politics and policymaking in Hong Kong during the colonial era. From a unique perspective, both as an academic and former senior civil servant, Gavin Ure demonstrates how Hong Kong gradually gained control of key areas of public policy. This book is an essential read for anyone with an interest in politics and public policy in Hong Kong." — James Lee, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Foreword

 

The sixteenth book in the Royal Asiatic Society’s Hong Kong Study Series traces the development of political and constitutional conventions, rules that augment or diminish the power of various offices and actors, against a wider backdrop, including the evolution of Hong Kong society and the ebb and flow of power between : the Colonial Office; the Governor, “the man on the spot”; Hong Kong’s Civil Service; and various Hong Kong actors, official and unofficial, expatriate and Chinese.

In this fascinating hook, Gavin Ure fleshes out the impact of’ political figures and how their actions, and inactions, various imperial or Hong Kong political and administrative affairs. The tendrils of Hong Kong’s budding autonomy from the United Kingdom are identified and followed with attention paid to the various actors, including observing which actors fade in importance and which ones seize more of the stage.

Rather than strictly being a historical narrative, as earlier hooks in the Royal Asiatic Society’s Hong Kong Study Series have been, this book discusses the growth of a political state, bureaucratic autonomy, viewed through the political theory of the American political scientist Daniel Carpenter, the Freed Professor of Government at Harvard.

Governors,Politics and the Colonial Office is not a break from a tradition, it is a natural extension for the Sir Lindsay and Lady Ride Memorial Fund, which we will follow up in addition to continuing our original format of more narrative—driven

books exploring the history, culture and society of Hong Kong and neighbouring regions.

The Royal Asiatic Society’s Hong Kong Studies Series was made possible by a generous founding donation of the Trustees of the Clague Trust Fund and an approximately matching donation from the Royal Asiatic Society, Hong Kong Branch in honour of our first Vice President, Sir Lindsay Ride, and his wife, Lady Ride, and generous donations from other donors.

The Sir Lindsay and Lady Ride Memorial Fund is always interested in both relevant proposals and manuscripts as well as donations and bequests to help us continue supporting books which might not otherwise have been published about Hong Kong and her region.

 

Christopher L.B. Young

President

Royal Asiatic Society, Hong Kong Branch

April 2012

Contents

 

Foreword vii

Acknowledgments ix

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

Chapter 2 Governors, Cadets,Unofficials and the Colonial Office 13

Chapter 3 The Origins of’ Policy, 1917－30 27

Chapter 4 Britain’s Influence over Hong Kong’s Policy, 1929－41 45

Chapter 5 Autonomy and the Threat to Sovereignty 67

Chapter 6 Income Tax and Treasury Control 87

Chapter 7 Constitutional Reform and Its Demise 111

Chapter 8 Post-war Housing Policy and the British Government 135

Chapter 9 Squatter Resettlement 163

Chapter 10 Financial Autonomy 191

Chapter 11 Conclusions 217

Notes 229

Bibliography 279

Index 287