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NOMES OF A MEETING IN THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S

OFFICE ON 30TH JUNE, 1950

PRESENT:

Secretary of State

Sir Alexander Grantham (Governor of Hong Kong)

Sir Charles Jeffries

Mr. Sidebotham

Mr. Hall.

CONSTITUTION

27

Sir A. Grantham gave a brief resume of the history from the original

proposals made by Sir Mark Young to the proposals he was now putting forward.

When Civil Government was re-established Mr. Creech Jones had said that there

should be constitutional reform in Hong Kong and had indicated that it might be

advisable to concentrate more on a lunicipal rather than a Legislative Council.

There had in fact not been much public interest but Sir Mark Young submitted

proposals that a municipality should be established representing the Chinese and

non-Chinese communities in equal proportions and constituted as to 2/3rds of its

membership by direct election on a moderately wide franchise and the remaining

half by nomination by certain unofficial bodies and that certain of the

important functions exercised by the Hong Kong Government should be transferred.

to the Municipal Council. He also recommended that the Legislative Council

should consist of 7 official and 3 unofficial members thereby giving the

unofficials a majority of one. All the unofficial members were to be nominated.

These proposals were approved in principle by the Secretary of State but lay

fallow for two years. The Governor pointed out that Hong Kong was really one

large city and that the unofficial members of the Legislative Council had not

been very happy about the Municipal Council proposals and had taken the line

that both the Municipal Council and Legislative Council would cause duplication

of work and, in fact, Hong Kong would be "over-governed". So far as he knew

Sir Mark Young had been reluctant to introduce elected members into the

Legislative Council because he felt that the Chinese political elements might

thereby acquire a predominant position. In 1949 the unofficial members of the

Legislative Council tabled a motion recommending that there should be an

unofficial majority in the Legislative Council and there should be directly

/elected

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