IV
ADMINISTRATION
The Government of Hong Kong derives its cons- titutional authority from Letters Patent and Royal Instructions and is administered by a Governor, an Executive Council and a Legislative Council. The Executive Council, which is consulted by the Governor on all important administrative matters, consists of the Commander, British Forces in Hong Kong, the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney General, the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, the Financial Secretary (who are members ex-officio), and such other members, both official and unofficial, as may be appointed. At the end of 1952, there were six official members (including the five ex-officio members mentioned above) and six unofficial members, three of whom were Chinese.
The Legislative Council consists of nine official members, including the same five ex-officio members listed above, and eight unofficial members. The pro- cedure of this Council, with the advice and consent of which all legislation is enacted and by which all expenditure from public funds has to be approved, is based on that of the House of Commons. There are three standing Committees of the Legislative Council- the Finance Committee, the Law Committee and the Public Works Committee-and select committees are from time to time set up to advise on matters before the Council.
The English Common Law, together with such United Kingdom statutes as were in force on April 5th, 1843, or have since that date been expressly made applicable to Hong Kong, forms the basis of the legal system, modified by Hong Kong Ordinances of which a new edition, revised to 1950, was published in 1951.
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