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Male
Status
Deceased
Sir William Peel KCMG KBE (Chinese: 貝璐) was a British colonial administrator. He worked as a secretary in several countries in south-east Asia (e.g. Singapore, Penang, Malay States).
On 9 May 1930, Peel was appointed as Governor of Hong Kong. During his tenure, the telephone system in Hong Kong was automated, and the first permanent flight between China and Hong Kong was established. Also, Peel presided over the construction of a Governor's Retreat in Fanling, in the New Territories.
Peel retired in May 1935.
(Source and further reading: William Peel (colonial administrator) - Wikipedia)
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1934
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The British government in financial strain 1930
In 1930, Sir William Peel stepped down as Chief Secretary of the Federation of Malaya and was reassigned to Hong Kong to succeed Sir Clementi, becoming the 18th Governor. He arrived at Queen's Pier in Hong Kong on May 9, 1930, to officially assume his new post.
In fact, as early as 1927, when he was Governor-General of Malaya, the British government had inquired whether he would be willing to take on a less important governorship; he agreed at that time, and as a result, he was appointed Governor of Hong Kong in 1930.
Compared to his predecessor, Sir Clementi, he was more easygoing, more composed, and cooperative with the British government, unlike Sir Clementi who often disagreed with or opposed British policies.
At the time, due to the British government's financial difficulties, they tended to intervene in all matters of the colonial government, large and small; therefore, he became the ideal candidate for Governor of Hong Kong in the eyes of the British government.
Besides prostitution, the Labour government also allied with the British Anti-Opium League to pressure the Hong Kong government to ban the sale of opium. Under this pressure, he enacted legislation in 1931 to prohibit opium, revoking the monopoly licenses for public opium and prohibiting citizens from possessing or smoking opium.