CO537-6046 — Page 140

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decided that the unofficial majority must be restricted to one it would be extremely difficult to justify this going; back, on the Governor's earlier proposals in published correspondence.

Points made t

Points made in the ensuing discussions were

(1) that nowadays the unofficials were not

normally overridden on financial matters which were left to the Finance Committee (composed of unofficials)

(ii) that it was fundamental that full reserve

powers, including the right of the Guvernor to legislate, should be retained

(iii)

that the list of elected budies propused by

the Governor in his new suggestions would be satisfactory; although other bodies would probably object to their exclusion they could not make a good case against any of the bodics which had been proposed

(iv) that the arrangement which the Governor had

suggested would most probably be safe not only on purely political questions but even on matters where political and financial interests cunflicted (the political interest would be paramount):

(v)

(1)

that the precise meaning of reserve powers should be clearly explained in order to avoid anything like the present diarchy in Malta; the present theory

is that the Governor should

have full power to legislate and to veto legislation,

It was agreed that

the Governor's new proposals should be recommanded

to the Secretary of State,..

(2) that Mr. Nicoll should be consulted on the question of the size of the unofficial majority and that in putting the matter to him the necessity for the

publication of reasons should be pointed out and if he preferred an unofficial majority of one only he should be asked.

to give his reasons (both secret and reasons which would be suitable for publication). It should also be made clear that the Governor favoured the new proposals with a large unofficial majority.

(3) If Mr. Nicoll agreed with the Governor's proposals

a draft despatch from the Secretary of Stato to Hong Kong, should then be prepared and sent to Mr. Nicoll to see in draft before it was actually despatched.

T

..

(4) that in composing the despatch care, should be taken so that no difficulty arose in connection with the Singapore Constitution in which the franchise had beon restricted rigidly to British subjects, (under the

Governor's new proposals this would not be the case in Hong Kong).

lor's

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