CYPHER CATIA
ROUTINE/
HỒNG KONG
TELEGRAM NUMBER 457
مافيا
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
10 JULY 1970
CONFIDENTIAL
FOR MONSON.
YOUR LETTER OF 26 JUNE: LOCAL COVERNMENT.
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:-
(1) 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.
(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 10,000 OUT OF POSSIBLE PRESENT POTENTIAL NUMBER OF ELECTORS OF AT LEAST 300,000
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:-
(A) VICTORIA, KOWLOON AND NEW KOWLOON ARE REALLY ONE URBAN AREA
/IN
CONFIDENTIAL