No. 453.
53577/35
8
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HONG KONG,
31st July, 1935.
13
Sir,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister's despatch No.181 of 20th May, 1935, on the subject of the Urban Council Ordinance, and
to confirm that the funds to be made available for the
operation of the Urban Council will be Government revenues
voted for the purpose by the Legislative Council in the annual budget, and consequently will continue to be subject to assessment for the purposes of Defence Contribution.
2. In regard to the exclusion of Government officers
from the franchise for the Urban Council, it is intended
that the electorate for the Urban Council should be
substantially the same as that for its predecessor, the
Sanitary Board. Government servants were omitted from that
electorate as it was considered by the legislature that they and their views were amply represented by the official and
appointed members of the Board.
3.
The Urban Council Urdinance contemplates a very limited electorate and inasmuch as Government servants are
excluded from the Jurors' lists the repeal of the proviso to section 3(4) would merely have the effect of enfranchising Government servants having the qualifications laid down in clauses (c), (d), (f), (h), (i) and (j) of that sub-section,
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
*
MALCOLM MACDONALD, M.P.,
&C.,
&c.,
xc.
a