TNAG-0280-FCO40-316-Visit-of-Parliamentary-under-Secretary-of-Foreign-and-Common-1970 — Page 78

Recent Develop- ments.

CONFIDENTIAL

3.

The New Territories are administered by District

Officers under the District Commissioner with the

assistance of rural committees elected by and from

village representatives. There is also a Consultative

Council for the whole of the New Territories (Heung Yee

Kuk); its functions are entirely advisory.

4.

In view of the spread of urban development into the

New Territories and of pressure from the elected members

of the Urban Council to extend their authority into those

areas, the Governor instituted early in 1966 a general

examination of local government. As a first step an

official Working Party was set up to gather information

on the possible forms of local government suitable

for Hong Kong and to suggest lines of development for

further study and debate.

5. The Working Party's Report was published early in

1967. It recommended 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, pussibly two,

others for Kowloon and New Kowloon. An Urban District

Council was suggested for Tseun 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. The Report was not

unaminous, one member being in favour of a single authority

/for......

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CONFIDENTIAL