CONFIDENTIAL
CYPHER CAT/A
ROUTINE 1
HONG KONG
TELEGRAM NUMBER 457
RECEIVED IN
REGISTRY No.51
AF
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
10 JULY 1970
CONFIDENTIAL
FOR MONSON.
8
13 JUL 1970
KIL18/12
YOUR LETTER OF 26 JUNE: LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
LAST
REF.
NEXT
REF.
THE IDEA OF A NUMBER OF LOCAL BODIES OF A MUNICIPAL COUNCIL NATURE IS OF COURSE THE PATTERN WHICH FIRST.OCCURS TO ONE IN
CONSIDERING THE PROBLEM OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT HERE. IT WAS INDEED
WHAT I MYSELF HAD BROADLY IN MIND WHEN WE FIRST STARTED TO STUDY THE PROBLEM. ON EXAMINATION, HOWEVER, THIS CONCEPT HAD TO BE ABANDONED AT LEAST FOR THE PRESENT.
2. BRIEFLY THE REASONS ARE:-
) THE WHOLE COLONY IS SO COMPACT AND CLOSELY INTEGRATED POLITICALLY, GEOGRAPHICALLY, COMMERCIALLY AND ADMINISTRATIVELY THAT THERE ARE REALLY NO MARKED REGIONAL VARIATIONS SUCH AS WOULD JUSTIFY OTHER THAN THE MOST MINOR VARIATIONS OF POLICY, AT LOCAL OPTION, BETWEEN REGION AND REGION. THE INEVITABLE LOSS OF EFFICIENCY RESULTING FROM A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF LOCAL COUNCILS WOULD NOT BE BALANCED BY ANY COMPENSATING ADVANTAGES.
IN
(11) EVEN WITH CONSIDERABLE EXTENSION OF THE FRANCHISE WHICH WOULD BE NECESSARY TO ORDER TO PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT ELECTORATE IN EACH OF A NUMBER OF DISTRICTS (NOT IN ITSELF NECESSARILY UNDESIRABLE) ONE IS FORCED TO WONDER WHAT THE TOTAL VOTE IN EACH DISTRICT WOULD BE WHEN ONLY ABOUT 10,00% OUT OF POSSIBLE PRESENT POTENTIAL NUMBER OF ELECTORS OF AT LEAST 300, 600 EVER IN FACT EXERCISE THEIR VOTE.
111) A SUPERFICIALLY ATTRACTIVE PARTIAL REGIONALIZATION MIGHT BE ACHIEVED BY HAVING A HONG KONG ISLAND COUNCIL, A KOWLOON AND NEW KOWLOON (INCLUDING KWUN TONG) COUNCIL, AND FORMING COUNCILS STAGE BY STAGE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES NEW TOWNS (KWAI CHUNG, CASTLE PEAK AND SHATIN) AS THEY DEVELOP.
BUT:-
(^) VICTORIA, KOWLOON AND NEW KOWLOON ARE REALLY ONE URBAN AREA
/IN
CONFIDENTIAL