CO537-1651 — Page 61

54145/4/46 Pt.II

Wt. 29446/552 9/46 50m. S. & S. Ltd.

C. O.

Mr. Mayle

Mr. Lloyd

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

30/12/46 31/12

Permt. U.S. of S.

Parly. U.S. of S.

★ Secretary of State.

7-1

L

Sufia

Se

DRAFT.TELEGRAM (0.T.P.

No

SECRET

GOVERNOR,

HONG KONG.

FURTHER ACTION.

Copy!

If wilt

copyes of сфоры

bar 70.

(69+20)

Your despatch No.145 and your

confidential despatch of 22nd October.

1.

Constitution.

I am greatly impressed with the

thoroughness with which this complex matter

has been examined and the very competent

manner in which the arguments and

conclusions have been presented.

I should

be glad if you would convey a suitable

expression of my appreciation to

C

2.

Mr. Hazlerigg for his share of this work.

Your proposals have been carefully

studied in the Department and I do not

expect to have many comments on points of

detail. Before going into details, however,

I should very much like to be fortified

with your further views on the general

question of the best course of constitutional

development in Hong Kong in the light of

the two considerations mentioned below.

3.

In the first place, constitutional

advance in Singapore is now likely to take

the form of widening the representative

basis of the Legislative Council by the

creation of an unofficial majority and the

election, on a non-communal basis, of a

substantial proportion of the members by an