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For 50384
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case of appointments of non-Chinese members of the Legislat- ive Council.
ii. The adoption of a larger electoral body than at
present exists.
iii. An unofficial majority.
As regards these proposals, I remain in
principle of the same opinion as when I wrote my despatch
of 29th July, 1920, though for reasons which I will give later I should at the present time view the introduction of
an electoral system with considerable misgiving.
6.
Subject therefore to what I have to say later,
I support the two first requests, I am in favour of the election of six Europeans, one to be elected by the Chamber of Commerce and five by a general body of electors, the number of Chinese members being at the same time increased to three.
I do not entirely agree with the proposal e contained in the petition with regard to the nature of the electorate, as I adhere to the views expressed in paragraphs 7 and 8 of my previous despatch. Government servants should not have votes, as they constitute so large a proportion of the European community that the temptation to use their votes for the purpose of securing personal advantages would be too great to be resisted, and a reasonable period of residence I suggest two years should be required. The vast majority of the population is Chinese and it would not be fair to them that persons who have so large a control over their destinies should be elected by the votes of new- comers who know nothing of the conditions under which they
live.
·
7.
The point on which I am entirely opposed to
the petition is that of an unofficial majority. I have set
out my views fully in paragraph 5 of my previous despatch
and increased experience only strengthens them. The case
of
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