HONG KONG STANDARD 5. MARCH 1970
•Walkout
men vowW VOW
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action
By CHRIS WONG
Tuesday's sensational walkout at the Urban Council meeting will not be repeated.
"But this does not mean that the matter ends there,” said one of the ten elected councillors who staged the walkout. “We will take other action, perhaps even stronger, if no progress is made on local government reforms within a month or so,'
And the ten will meet shortly to discuss this action.
'Silent' French sub lost
PARIS, Wed.
The French Defence Ministry said tonight; an attack submarine missing off the Mediterranean coast since last Wednesday was considered "lost."
A Ministry spokesman said there were 57 men aboard the craft.
The spokesman said a task force of search boats patrolling the area where the Eurydice disappeared after making a practice dive had turned up patches of oil.
Tracking
the area and the type of submarine a Paphne class vessel designed for silent underwater tracking were elements similar to an earlier Tragedy the loss on Jan. 27,] 1968, of the the French submarine, Minerve, with 52 men aboard
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The walkout was the first in the Council's history and was a protest against the Government's four-year delay in implementing proposals for a much wider City Council. The councillor, who declined to reveal his name, said the reform proposals would be put before the Executive Council within a week or two, and the Colonial Secretary. was expected to make a statement after the Budget debates at the
Thelative Council on March 26,
issije concerns a report by the Commil's ad hoc committee on the future scope and operations of the Urban Council. It was submitted to the Government in August 1966.
The report was later revised, incorporating into it further recommendations by a Government appointed Working Party. The final report was forwarded to the Governor in March 1969.
The recommendations mainly pressed for a stronger administrative Council, called The Greater Hongkong Council or The Hongkong Municipal Assembly, with responsibility covering strictly internal matters.
The reported advocated gradual expansion of the Urban Council in three phases over a period of nine years.
Responsibilities
over
It was proposed that the first phase should begin in 1969 with the City Council obtaining control education and social welfare, with some transport and «medical responsibilities.
It recommended that the number of elected seats should be doubled and that the council elect its own chairman, who would be titled “Mayor".
During the first phase, the present franchise would be maintained, with elections on a ferritorial basis,
The Council would be granted the right to coflret certain rates and tw the revenue as I deemed fit.
Phase two, from 1971 to 1974, calls for a new franchise to provide for territorial and ward elections.
of
There would be no offictal members of the Council, but heads of department would become advisers co-opted members.
The number of elected seats would be increased to 30, elected on a ward basis.
Tham planning would be an achtert requnsibility of
TATLING ALL CARS
Couple held in drug SWOOD
An i elderly couple, by detectives from the special duties strad in Lalchitkok ently yesterday, were last night Charged for possessing and manufacturing dangerous drugs,
Kou Yue-shu. a 69 year-old man and the
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