CO537-2188 — Page 174

}

Su (6)9 (8) 279

•

·

I agree that, in connection with the proposed residential

qualification for members of the Chinese community,

some special provision should be made, on the lines proposed in paragraph 25' of Sir Mark Young's despatch No.145, in order: that those persons who left Hong Kong

during the period of the Japanese occupation should

not be penalised. In conformity with my comment in sub-paragraph (b) above, however, I consider that this

concession should equally be extended to members of the

non-Chinese communities.

-

(a) Minimum qualifying age for Councillors and Voters

(paragraphs 17 and 24). In paragraph 17(a) of his

despatch No. 145 Sir Mark Young recommended that the

minimum qualifying age limit for election as a Councillor should be 30, and, in paragraph 24(1) of his despatch,

that the minimum qualifying age limit for voters should

be 25. Subsequently he felt able to recomend that the

minimum qualifying age for Councillors should be reduced

to 25, and advised that the weight of local opinion

would not at present favour any further reduction in the

minimum qualifying age limit for both Councillors and

voters. In the light of this advice I am prepared to

accept the age of 25 as the minimum qualifying age for

both, but I trust that a reduction in both cases to 21

will not be long delayed.

(*)

Other electoral qualifications (paragraph 24).

I agree to the proposed literacy and residential

qualifications. As regards the proposal that voters

should, in addition, possess a property or the Jury

Service qualification, I accept the view that these

additional qualifications are desirable at this stage,

that I feel that persons who can satisfy the

Registration Officer that they are excluded from the

Jury List solely on the grounds that they are over 60,

or are ignorant of the English language, or on account

Niemand why "ot

in bank pulls of dorson pure the infuses