3.
Department chosen).
With the present programme of
labour legislation, the same is also rather too true with Hetherington. Luddington might be a good choice, but it is probable that he will be coming onto the Executive Council as an ex-officio member in the fairly near future. It is I think more appropriate for the District Commissioner to be left on Legislative Council alone. I do not much like the idea of putting Todd on either. Admirable as he (and all these officers) wald be, the purpose of this seat is chiefly to give the Departments other than those headed by ex-officio members a feeling that their voice (and indeed a 'Departmental' voice) is sometimes heard on Executive Council. This aim is defeated by putting on a Secretariat officer even though, in his case, the appointment would last for less than a year due to his impending retirement.
8.
On balance therefore I favour appointing Rowe. No Director of Social Welfare has ever been on Executive Council and, at a time when there is a good deal of talk about social welfare problems, I think to seat him would be fairly well received.
9.
Unofficial Members I do not wish to recommend any changes in the present unofficial membership. All are useful members in their various ways and I think Kenneth Fung and P.Y. Tang will be likely to retire of their own accord at the end of this appointment. We get plenty of new faces in this Council anyway since we get numerous provisional members sitting when the incumbents are travelling abroad.
Legislative Council
10.
Official Members
You have agreed in your telegram 369 to the re-appointment of the present official members, but if Rowe is appointed to the Executive Council, as suggested in paragraph 8 above, I would like to propose one consequential change in the
CONFIDENTIAL