W(B)L 51-7406
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
(the subject of a recent and separate
submission) than to the re-organisation
of the Urban Council. It is an idea
which has previously been mooted but
it is open to the objection than the
introduction of an elected element
into the legislature (by whatever means)
could lead to demands for further elected
representation with the inevitable dangers
of importing the politics of the "two
Chinas".
(b) the proposal that machinery should be
set up for the automatic registration
of voters. Some twenty-three categories
of persons are included in the franchise;
the most numerous of these are persons
on the jury list, taxpayers, teachers,
members of the Defence Force and Auxil-
iary Services, ratepayers, staff and
students of the universities, registered
nurses and midwives and holders of the
equivalent of school certificate or a
technical college diploma. A qualif-
ication of three years' ordinary
residence in Hong Kong is also required.
If the meaning of the proposal is
that the onus of automatically registering
on the voters roll those eligible to vote
should be placed on the Government, (i.e.
without any need for those eligible to
for registration
apply this could present formidable
problems. The Governor is on record
as being opposed to the idea, & automatic registration.
/4.