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Council measures of purely local interest."
is therefore not likely to be much practical gain
from the formal appointment of an unofficial member
to the Executive Council.
It has occurred to me that possibly, instead
of making any such appointment, some understanding
might be come to that in the case of discussion of
specified local subjects at any rate so long as there
is no municipality in existence at Hongkong,
one or more unofficial members should be summoned to
take part in the proceedings of the Executive Council,
without giving them seats on the Council for all
purposes. This is a point which I shall be glad
to have your opinion on.
14. With regard to the institution of a
municipal Council, I frankly say that I should
like to see one established at Hongkong. But there
appears to be two practical difficulties in the
way. The first is the present crisis. I am not
prepared to sanction any important change of administration, until the future is tolerably clear
and until the necessary measures for protecting
the health of the Colony have been finally decided
upon and brought into operation. Then in a clear
field, it may be possible to create a municipal body
with some prospect of success.
The second difficulty, to which allusion has
already been made, is that of separating municipal
from Colonial matters. I am not confident that that
difficulty can be overcome nor am I confident that