When they we need be guil so slow will depend Developments in saffeding
IK.
2.12.
has very firmly made the point (with which we all agree) that, even when we have set this ball rolling again, we should be in no hurry over the various stages. On this, it seems to me that we could very conveniently drag the correspondence out for a matter of 18 months or so. If the despatch reaches the Governor in (say) November it will take a little time for it (and the one to which it is a reply) to be published and tabled in there will then be a fairly the Legislative Council; prolonged period of consultation with unofficials, culminating no doubt in a further debate in the Legislative Council; the Governor will then have to submit his proposals to the Secretary of State and they will have to be considered here; and even after that there will be a fairly prolonged period during which the revised constitutional instruments would be drafted.
But, from the Governor's point of view, the important thing is that we should, without undue delay, reach the first stage in this process, i.e. the publication in Hong Kong of the Governor's despatch at No. 57 on 54145/4/49, and the Secretary of State's reply.
2n4/August, 1950.
S.MP
I dich not take paul
in
halls with hi A.
your
Grantham but this ofts seau to pie effece ti
и тельня
The conclusions
thin leached
Outubr
سا
wo man
Concrets.
I have passed Th. B ( which has still
to he refered to his A. Grantham) subject
تما
Your approval, which is
how sought, of Ir A.
3/8/50
十
Sir T. Lloyd
I understand that the Secretary of State is still not happy about the basis now proposed by the Governor (in his memorandum at No. 23) for the selection of unofficial members of Legislative Council, as an alternative to the direct election of a proportion of these members as proposed in the Governor's despatch of last August. In particular, I understand that the Secretary of State would prefer not to be put in the position of himself suggesting that this system of selection should be explored, in a despatch which will be published.
C
As regards this latter point, I have attempted in the amendments which I have made in the flimsy copy of Draft A, to cut out any suggestion that the new basis should be "election by representative bodies". In the last sentence of the amending slip to para. 4 however I have referred the possibility of a "process of indirect election". I have done this because, without it, it would be necessary to delete the whole of the last two sentences of para. 4.
As regards the merits of the system of selection
F
/ by
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