TNAG-0242-FCO40-278-Conduct-of-Hong-Kong-commercial-relations-1970 — Page 97

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

CONFID

The

AL

Somewhat

and businessmen;

Some/detribalised-not

representing the normal attitudes of local

Chinese. He was anxious to disentangle local

government from Government, i.e. remove

official members of councils. The trouble

was the people did not distinguish local

government from Government proper. If some-

thing went wrong they blamed the Government.

Mr. Wellbeloved asked if it was true that the

elected members of the urban council had

recently walked out and if so why. Sir David

Trench said that this was over what reforms

were to be expected and when. But this had

not even been decided by the legislative

Council. Mr. Stewart said this seemed to

show that local government was of some interest to some people. Sir David Trench said that

the increase in functions was of interest to

6 only the elected members of the Council them- selves. Sir Hugh Norman-Walker said that if anyone provided the impetus for/increases in powers of local government it was the

Government itself.

2 Defence

Lieur A

by Aster Creneved

-

Qin Basil Fugster said that there were

no difficulties about defence matters

except in the Air Force field.

A com-

promise had been agreed with the RAF over the number of squadrons situated in Hong Kong. Extra training would be carried out in the Colony. They would not be able to do any- thing if anyone flew over Hong Kong air space. The only real problem was who paid for Hong

The cost might

Kong's defence and how much.

/20