52. To Hazelrigg - Id.
1. Hong Kong. Suret tel. 893
53.
54. Copy of H. K. Ordinance Noy of 1935.
demonali)
+
Mr. Seel
Mr. Roberts-Wray
24.5-17.
23-5-47
Mr. Galsworthy and I discussed with Mr. Hazlerigg this morning the objection to the franchise qualifications as they stand at present, from the point of view that they exclude from the Voting List persons who have the residential and literacy qualifications but have no property qualifications and are over 60, afflicted with blindness, deafness or other like infirmity, or are females.
It was generally felt that a franchise which excluded persons in the above categories would be very much open to criticism here, and Mr. Roberts- Wray suggested a proposal which would give such persons the vote, provided that in other respects they would have been eligible for the Jurors List and, of course, that they had the requisite residential and literacy qualifications.
Mr. Galsworthy and I discussed with Mr. Hazlerigg this afternoon the further question, which is in some ways linked up with the above question, of whether the Chinese Councillors should be selected by electoral colleges instead of being elected by the ballot box as the China Association have urged. It is pretty clear that under the electoral college procedure, contemplated by the China Association, there would be no question of election of Councillors on any sort of franchise, and Mr. Hazlerigg himself thought that it would be extremely difficult to justify the use of the electoral college system, if this is to be defended
La constitutional advance. At the same time, Mr. Hazlerigg evidently thought that there was some danger of the Kuomintang exercising some influence, if not control, over the election of Chinese councillors by the ballot box system. He didn't feel, however, that the substitution of the electoral college system for the ballot box would diminish this danger, and Mr. Galsworthy and I felt, with him, in the circumstances, that the China Association's representations would have to be turned down.
self-explanatory.
The three drafts submitted are, I think
It is perhaps desirable that they should be seen by the Secretary of State, because they contain the franchise proposals, formulated in discussion with Mr. Hazlerigg, and also acceptance
of the Governor's views on important questions such as the proportion of Chinese seats and the
| allocation of seats to Trades Union.
In view of paragraph 3 of the Acting Governor's telegram at (53) and the recent letter from Sir Mark Young, I think it is only right to say that Mr. Hazlerigg himself thought that there was no urgency whatsoever about the publication of these despatches or the implementation of the Municipality Council proposals, from the local point of view,
and