6.
4.
SECRET
e) To improve the image and responsiveness of Government by widening the social back- ground from which members of the Legislative Council are appointed by bringing in successful members of grass-roots organisations, and by increasing the number of Legislative Council members to deal with their steadily expanding work-load.
f) Subject to satisfactory progress on (e) to make the Government less alien in appearance and more easy for the population to identify itself with, by the appointment of some local unofficial members of Executive Council to positions of overall responsibility for some defined fields of administration for which they would be answer- able in the Legislative Council.
g) In default of a normal trade union situation to safeguard the position of wage earners by progressive labour legislation and a strong Commissioner of Labour's office with effective conciliation and factory inspectorate services.
But on the other hand
a) all these measures are firmly directed to the time-scale of the early 80s and are designed to achieve a high degree of impact by that time.
b) Consequently in developing them great care must be taken to avoid or if necessary retreat from developments that appear likely to cause economic or social disappointment or disruption at that time, and thus detract from the ability of H.M.G. and the Government of Hong Kong to direct and control the re- adjustment of relations with China that will then be necessary.
c) Once the adjustment has been achieved there will be a new situation in which new courses will have to be plotted.