Paragraph 14, of No. 69.
Number of Members.
Paragraph 15 of No. 69.
Proportion Chinese.
of
(No. 70)
X
Paragraph 17
of No. 69. Qualification
of Councillors.
1
f
gradual) and in a Colony, the total area of which is so small, to ensure co-operation between the Government services in the rural areas and their municipal counterparts.
5.
The Governor originally had in mind a Council of 48 members. He admits that the weight of opinion was in favour of a much smaller number and now recommends 30. The number proposed in discussions here was 23. (1) on file Mr. Hazlerigg, in a paper submitted by the Banning Unit preferred 21. (6)The membership of the Singapore Municipal Council before the war was 24 (A) and it is suggested should now be 27. The Governor's main argument in favour of the larger figure is that a smaller number would involve the Councillors in so much work on the Council's Committees that it might be difficult to find able men able to meet the excessive demand on their time that might be involved. We should agree, I think, that this difficulty should not be met by the co-option of non-members of the Council to the Council's Committees, but, for the reason that the Governor himself gives (at X on page 6 of 69), it might have been preferable to have a smaller number in the first place leaving it open for the membership to be increased after the Council had assumed its full functions. The number 30, of which 20 are to be elected is of course related to the number of electoral wards of which for the Chinese electorate there are to be 10. These wards have no doubt been designed in the light of practical and geographical factors which the Governor has taken into account and on balance, therefore, I think we should accept his recommendation.
6. The proposal that the Chinese community which constitutes 98% of the population should only have a 50% representation on the Council may evoke criticism, especially in China and America. The government of the former country may well represent that our proclaimed intention of giving the Chinese a fuller and more responsible share in the management of their own affairs has no reality. Beyond saying that not all Chinese are in favour of a Chinese majority in the Council the Governor does not give supporting arguments for this proposal. A clue may be found in paragraph 6 of the confidential despatch in which attention is drawn to the possibility that the prospective Municipality might become the tool of the Kuomintang. I suggest that while not excluding the possibility of an increase in Chinese representation in the future we might accept the Governor's present recommendation.
7. The most important proposal in connection with the qualification of Councillors is that membership should be open to persons of any nationality. Sir G. Northcote in speaking of the Chinese population, in 1940 said "... an unknown proportion, which varies inversely with the Colony's prosperity, have dual British and Chinese nationality"and it is a generally held view that it is not practicable to distinguish in Hong Kong between those Chinese who are British and those who are not. I feel sure that we should agree with the Governor both as regards qualificatione-of Councillors and electors that British nationality should not be required.
8. In connection with the length of residence qualification of Councillors, it might be well worth suggesting, as has been done in the case of the
/Singapore