CO129-594-9 Membership of Legislative and Executive Councils 31-12-1945 - 14-1-1947 — Page 19

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Sir G. Gater.

I send this on as you will, I think, be interested, and so may Mr. Creech Jones, in this move by Sir M. Young to reduce, temporarily at least, from seven to six the number of official appointments on the Hong Kong Executive Council and to add one to the number of Chinese unofficials on that body. That will make four unofficials in all two Europeans and two Chinese.

The appointment of Chinese raises the difficulty, to which Miss Ruston has referred, of finding nominees quite free from any association with the Japanese during their occupation of Hong Kong. T.N. Chau was then out of the Colony but M. K. Lo did co-operate with the Japanese, on official advice, to the extent shown by No.21 on this file. The Secretary of State for War was recently asked a Parliamentary question about these activities of M.K. Lo and we then concurred in the draft letter of reply flagged red on 54312/P.Q.1. A similar line should be taken if there were any criticism of his appointment to the Executive Council of Hong Kong. He is already an unofficial member of the Legislature.

I have revised the departmental draft slightly so as to welcome this change in the member- ship of the Executive Council. For the rest the action in that draft is formal.

M. Grech Junes

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Inclemit for approval in two pils 20.5.46.

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(A) the reduction by one official members of the Executives Cancil and the increanly in of Chinen Unofficials (b)). The appointment of M. & hyp and his association with the Japaners. On this dager with MV. theyd. Fool 28.5