CO537-2188 — Page 40

of the Councillors should retire each year.

ANGalawally

21.5.47.

I think it would have been better for this file

to go to Mr. Mayle before coming to me. However, I

have considered Mr. Galsworthy's minute and drafts

and, apart from four marginal notes to his minute,

I have no comments except on the question of the

franchise. I appreciate Hong Kong's problem which

is explained in enclosure 7 to the despatch of 22nd

October, 1946, (69 On /46). >

It is not quite clear what the suggestion of

electoral colleges would involve, but anything which

Would avoid conferring the franchise by reference to

the register of jaojie Would be an improvement on

Jurors

the present scheme. Whatever the difficulties it

seems to me that to make qualification of voters depend

جميرا

upon the je letter be register is clearly inappropriate.

I am afraid Mr. Galsworthy's suggestion that persons

in other respects qualified as

Jurors

should not

be excluded solely for the reason stated in Section 3

Jun of the Jawoliday Ordinance, 1889, would not do since

apart from the special exemptions in Section 4 the

qualifications for jewellers are completely defined in

that section and nowhere else.

As I have already pointed out, to provide that

a person should be qualified for the vote if he or

she either has a propertyqualification or is on the

Jurors'

list, would be the same as stipulating that

everyone who is physically fit, under 60 and knows

English and is a male shall be eligible for registration

as a voter, while those who suffer from deafness,

blindness or other such infirmity, or do not know English or are females, can be registered only if they

/possess

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