recommendations made to me by Sir Mark Young,
particularly since Sir Mark Young has assured me
that his recommendations can be regarded as carrying
the assent of the majority of those who displayed an
interest in the subject.
It is, as you know, the intention that
both Sir Mark Young's despatch containing his detailed
recommendations and my despatch in reply shall be
published in Hong Kong. The date fixed for publication
is the 24th July and on the 23rd July I hope to make
a further announcement in the House. I shall of course
see that copies of these documents are sent to you.
Correquently
There is no pointstaanduva in my explaining in
detail in this letter why we have decided to adopt
30 as the correct number for the Municipal Council,
since the reasons for this decision are given fully
in Sir Mark Young's despatch.
point.
I will therefore go straight en to your second
There are, I feel, certain fundamental differences
between the circumstances of the former International
Government of Shanghai and those of a Colonial
Government in Hong Kong. I do not feel we can rightly
assume that experiences derived from a system of
administration appropriate to the former would
necessarily be reproduced in the case of the latter.
We shall moreøver be.retaining in Hong Kong a Central
Government which, though it will delegate to the
Municipal Council a large number of its functions
(and it is very definitely the intention that the
Municipal Council should have the substance and not
aurizont
will the mere shadow of power), it nevertheless remain
responsible for laying down the general policies of government. But quite apart from considerations of
this nature, I feel that, at the stage we have reached
to-day in British Colonial affairs, we should find it
impossible to defend any system which, in the circumstances
(see para.2
of H.K. despatc of 22 October)
of
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