CONFIDENTIAL
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5.
However, the White
Several of the elected members on the Urban Council have
made it clear that they are generally dissatisfied with the
White Paper particularly for not giving the Council the
additional powers it had been asking for.
Paper's reception by the present unofficial members of the Urban
Council appears to have been less hostile than one would have
expected. The one proposal which the elected members are
objecting to formally is the composition of the Council, and they
have written to the Government requesting that the proposed
ratio of membership in the "new" Council of 12 appointed and
12 elected be changed to 12 elected and 10 appointed.
6. In the Legislative Council Debate on 9 February, the White
Paper was supported by an overwhelming majority of unofficial
members and its proposals
despite their limited scope
accepted in general as a practical proposition under Hong Kong's
present economic and political atmosphere.
7. We have heard no more from the Hong Kong Government since
seeing the reports of the Legislative Council Debate. The
proposed date of implementation of these changes quoted in the
White Paper remains as April 1973.
8.
When we examined the proposals last summer we thought that
the new financial arrangements would at least give an opportunity
of seeing whether the Council could and would face up to
responsibility in the efficient performance of its proper
functions.
A copy of the saving despatch sent to the Governor
in June 1971 is attached.
3.
CONFIDENTIAL
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