CO537-6046 — Page 139

Meeting

W

Governor

HK

سیا

26.6.20

3.

Constitution. I

Mr. Paskin said that the conclusion provisionally reached at the discussion with the Governor un 21st June had been that the Governor's new scheme reconstituting the Logislative Council was better than the earlier one. On one point however agreement had not been reached and that was the question of how big the unofficial majority should bo.

On this matter the size of the unofficial majority really depended upon what one, was aiming at. If the object was to achieve safety on the questions affecting the international status of Hong Kong thon even a large unofficial majority made up in the way the Governor had suggested would be safe. If on the other hand however the object was to ensure that Government would never be divided on a major question (including financial questions) then clearly the only safe arrangement would be for the unofficial majority to be restricted to che,

Mr. Paskin went on to point out that it would bo necessary for correspondence on the subject of the constitution to be published and he thought that this should be borne in mind. The Governor's new arrangements would be easy to justify in published correspondence on liberal grounds, ẹ. g. the Secretary of State cuuld object to the prusent proposals on the grounds of the very limited franchise and the Governor could in response then come back with his new proposals. If, on the other hand, it was

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/decided