CO129-592-8 Future Policy in Hong Kong 1-1-1945 - 26-11-1945 — Page 133

4.

There was considerable discussion as to whether

such a Municipal Council should be responsible for the whole territory, including the rural areas, or whether their responsibility should be confined to the urban areas and the Central Government would assume responsi- bility for the country districts in the New Territories. One view was that the interests of the rural areas would be overlooked by a Municipal Council composed mainly of urban members but the alternative might mean an extravagant duplication of services and personnel. On the' whole it was thought that the Council could be so constituted by Ordinance as to safeguard this point possibly by establishing a special branch which would be responsible for rural areas.

5. An appropriate size it was suggested for a Municipal Council for Hong Kong would be an assembly of 23 persons. More would be unwieldly; less would provide insufficient personnel for the various Committees which would be required. The proposal for the composition of the Council was as follows:

9 European British Elected Members,

6.

representing the professional and

commercial interests in Hong Kong, of

whom 2 should be representatives of the Portuguese Community.

7 Chinese Members,

to be nominated, or elected under

a system approved by Government, by

the registered Chinese Guilds;

7 Members to be nominated by the Governor,

of whom 2 would be representatives of

the rural areas,

It was thought that the 9 European Members should

"

be

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