CO537-1651 — Page 89

Para.13 of

No.69.

Paras.14-16 and 18-20 of

No.69.

Para.17 of

No.69.

Paras. 24 and

Summary of Proposals in No.69 for Establishment

of Hong Kong Municipality.

1. One Municipality.

A single Municipality to be established to cover Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and that part of the New Territories known as New Kowloon, the remainder of the New Territories, which consists mainly of rural districts, being left to administration under District Officers.

25 of No.69 and annexure to No.6.

Para.27 of

No.69.

Para. 29 of

No.69.

2.

Composition of Council.

The Municipal Council to consist of thirty members of whom twenty would be directly elected on a moderately wide franchise and ten would be nominated. Half of both the elected and nominated members to be Chinese. The Council to retire as a body every third year, to elect its own Chairman (or Mayor) and Vice-Chairman annually. Only the Chairman or Mayor to be paid and that only if the Council so decides.

3.

Membership Qualifications.

-

30 years.

Non-

Minimum age for both men and women British to be eligible but non-British Chinese must have resided in Hong Kong for ten out of the last fifteen years. British subjects (including British Chinese) need have resided there only for one year since reaching the age of 23, and the same preferential qualification is proposed for the non-British European and American communities. Candidates must be able to speak, read and write English which would be the official language of the Council.

A.

Voting Qualifications.

Minimum age for both men and women 25 years. Ability to read and write English or Chinese. For British subjects (including British Chinese) and non-British Europeans and Americans residential qualification to be only one year since reaching the age of 23 (as for membership); for non-British Chinese residential qualification to be six years in the last ten. Also, voters must either be the owners or tenants of property on which rates of certain stated amount (never more than $200 i.e. about £12 per annum) are paid; or they may qualify as persons liable for jury service or members of professions specifically exempt from such service.

5.

Exercise of Franchise.

All electors to be registered and there are to be two registers, one for Chinese and one for non-Chinese. For the Chinese there will be ten wards each returning one member. For the non-Chinese there will be a single constituency with ten seats. To ensure that Indian and Portuguese communities secure representation the Governor proposes that, if no Indian or Portuguese candidate is returned as one of the ten top candidates, then the top Indian or Portuguese candidate (or both) shall displace the lowest (or two lowest) of the ten who lead in the poll.

6.

Nominated Members.

The registered Trade Unions, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the unofficial Justices of the Peace each to nominate two members. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the University, the Hong Kong Residents Association and the Kowloon Residents Association each to nominate one member. If any of these bodies fails to nominate a properly qualified

person