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CONFIDENTIAL
5.
new system of "City District Officers" for the urban areas was announced in January, 1968, and some of these officers are now en poste. They are responsible to the Secretary for Chinese Affairs. Their task is to be as accessible as possible to those living in their districts and keep in touch with local organisations, to assess the overall impact of Government's policies on the people of their districts and to get to know all the problems and conflicts and trends of public thinking in their districts before attitudes have been struck. They have a few executive functions.
Future Development
6.
In view of the spread of urban development into the New Territories and pressure from the elected members of Urban Council to extend their authority into those areas, the Governor announced early in 1966 that he had decided to institute a re-examination of local government generally. first step an official Working Party was set up to gather informa- tion on the possible forms of local government suitable to Hong Kong and to suggest lines of development for further study and debate.
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7. The Working Party's Report was published early in 1967. It recommends the creation of a number of urban authorities on the lines of English practice though with somewhat reduced powers and functions and a greater degree of supervision and control by Central Government. Under their proposals a Municipal Council would be set up for the urban area of Hong Kong and one, or possibly two, for Kowloon and New Kowloon. Urban District Council is suggested for Tsuen Wan but apart from this the Working Party saw no good reason for changes in the New Territories Administration which was generally regarded as satisfactory by the inhabitants. All the new councils would
have a majority of members elected on a liberal franchise but a system of appointed members would be retained to guard against the possible future of the elective principle. The report is not unanimous, one member being in favour of a single authority for Hong Kong and Kowloon and three members suggesting an interim
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CONFIDENTIAL
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