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familiar with circumstances in Hong Kong from his previous service there (from 1950 to 1961), has seen and endorsed the proposals.
The Governor's recommendations are not completely satisfactory on two points -
(1) While accepting in principle the need for
an expansion in the field from which the
unofficial representatives on the Councils are selected and intending the increase in
membership to facilitate this, Sir Robert Black (paragraph 9 of the despatch) is disappointingly
vague about how this wider selection is to be
effected. We also feel some doubt about his objection (paragraph 6) to appointing to the
Legislative Council a number of elected members
of the Urban Council. This problem however is
best left for his successor and nothing which it is proposed to do now will tie the latter's hands in this respect. There is therefore no
need even if there were time, which there is
not, to pursue the point further with
Sir Robert Black.
This
(2) While increasing the unofficial membership of the Urban Council, the Governor makes no
proposals for expanding its functions, though he touches on the point in paragraph 11. again is a subject which must now be left for
study by his sucessor. It is contentious and
difficult and it seems best in the meantime not
to raise objection to the recommended increase
in the number of both elected and nominated
members. Mr. Higham has suggested that there
should be an announcement now of the intention
to undertake a review of the Urban Council's
functions, but this again should, I think, be
left till the new Governor can make a considered recommendati8h the scope and character of such a
review.
? Telegraph approval as in draft herewith. After Sir David Trench has taken up the governorship, we might write to draw his attention to the se
important outstanding problems, of the existence of which he must of course already be aware, and ask him
in due course, when he has had time to review the
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