TNAG-0120-FCO40-156-Lord-Shepherd-s-visit-1969 — Page 29

ANNEX B

Mr. Carter

I agree with the line advocated in the attached submission, and that the submission should form the basis of Lord Shepherd's brief for his forthcoming visit.

2. I am sure that it would be extremely unwise for us to proceed in

for

this matter with anything but considerable caution. It would to my mind be a serious mistake if we were to move over to adult suffrage in present circumstances in Hong Kong, and I therefore entirely agree with the conclusion in paragraph 8. I am also very much in agreement with the line advocated in paragraph 7. A further argument which might be

added to the brief for Lord Shepherd is the example of Gibraltar, with which he, of course, is fully conversant. For the past few years we have had in Gibraltar the Central Government and the City Council.

Both were co-terminus, and both were elected. It soon became clear

that there really was not room for two co-terminus authorities in

Gibraltar; and in the new Constitution which is to be published on

Friday of this week we have taken the opportunity, with the agreement of all concerned in Gibraltar, of merging the functions of these two authorities, so that henceforth we will have a single authority in Gibraltar discharging the functions of both the Central and Local

Authority.

3.

•

Hong Kong is, of course, vastly more sophisticated and complicated

to administer than Gibraltar. But I am sure it is as valid of Hong Kong

as it was of Gibraltar that there is no room for two co-terminus

authorities.

4. A further disadvantage of the Urban Council's proposals on this particular score is that the Local Authority in Hong Kong will, naturally enough, contain a large elected element, whereas this is

firmly ruled out for the Central Legislature. If a conflict were to develop on any particular point between the single Municipal Council proposed by the Urban Council and the Central Government, it would surely be inevitable that the Municipal Council would claim that they represent the "voice of the people" because of their elected element. 5. On a point of detail, in the summary of Mr. Dickinson's proposals in the Annex to the submission, would the new non-mandatory and non- exclusive powers in relation to schools apply to all kinds of schools, or simply to elementary schools? Perhaps this could be made clear in

the Annex.

ANG.

(A.N. Galsworthy)

27th May, 1969