Coll 15/5 'EGYPT British community in Egypt: problems of post-war reconstruction' [‎29r] (57/68)

tho difficulties and requirements of the Community, and to suggest
solutions of such problems of general intorost as may al *i B(:5 »
tho same time it is recommended that it should bo understood that
their function is also to act as a filter for individual complaints
and grievances, by dealing thomsolves as far as possible vrith cases
such as so frequently arise through misinterpretation and
maladministration of tho lav/ by junior Government officials or
xenophobic or anti**Christian tendencies# Such complaints are
usually of a commercial character, and could in many instances
bo taken up by tho Councils through tho Chambers of Commerce,
leaving only tho more difficult and important cases to bo
referred to tho Consulates and/or tho Embassy, or casos involving
matters of principle*
35, As a subsidiary measure to those recommended above for
improving tho status and securing tho romunorativo employment of
Maltose and Cypriots, it is further recommended that those
communities should bo encouraged and assisted to form and maintain
sports and other social clubs and communal mooting-places, with
tho object of fostering a spirit of solidarity amongst themsolVos,
and of perpetuating tho Imperial connexion which has unfortunately
boon allowed to become obscured in tho minds of many of those
persons owing to tho apparent indifference to them of the Anglo-
Saxon colony. At tho risk of repetition it cannot be too strongly
emphasised that unless a serious effort is made on those or
similar lines to show those Maltose and Cypriot British subjects
more consideration than they have received in the past, thcro is a
real danger that they will become not only unconscious of their
British nationality and allegiance, but actually resentful of it
when it is brought to their notice, Tho need for such consider
ation has become far more imperative now since the application to
them, without discrimination, of tho obligations of tho National
Service Ordor-in-Council and tho Defence Regulations concerning
service in tho Auxiliary Defence Service (British). Loyally as
tho loaders of those communities have collaborated in tho carrying
out of those measures, they have not boon able to refrain from
tho suggestion that equality of sacrifice should connote equality
of treatment, and it is particularly unfortunate that it should n
have boon found possible to grant to their dependents in Egypt
the same family allowance as is granted to tho dependents in
Egypt of other British subjects called up in Egypt under ..
same Order. It is regarded as essential to tho internal solidarity
and to tho loyal collaboration of tho British Community in Egyp
as a whole that after tho war no discrimination should bo made
between its various elements.
/
It
36. Tho tendency of all Egyptian Governments tocourt
popularity by oxtromo nat ionalis tic •policy c
^ . legislation nas already boon referred to in this
{erw t -^ 4 ,<'is considered necessary however to invito particular attention
to the danger which would result to British trade if this
tendency or this policy were to lead the Egyptian Government
at any time to introduce financial measures radically modifying
their monetary system. Above all the financial policy of the
Egyptian Government should be carefully watched for any symptons
*indicating an intention to cut adrift from sterling, the link
with which is regarded as of tho greatest value to Anglo-
Egyptian commercial relations. Such symptoms might well take
tho form of proposals such as the following, which would weaken
this link and aggravate monetary conditions between London and
Cairo '
(a) To