TNAG-0290-FCO40-326-Appointments-to-membership-of-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Ko-1971 — Page 22

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

CONFIDENTIAL

(c)

1

provided that it was made clear to him (and

provided that he accepted) that he was being

appointed solely on the basis of his

individual merits and not as representing the

Urban Council or any particular element in

that body.

We recently considered the possibility of

widening representation by including persons

from fields such as universities, the

teaching profession, the information media

and from those prominent in the social

services. The Governor considers that the

two universities are already well represented

on one or other of the Councils by members

of the University Councils (although these

representatives are not necessarily

academics). He also thinks that people

teaching at the universities or schools

would not be able to spare the time for this

purpose and that persons employed in the

information media would be unacceptable

under the principle at paragraph 4 (a) above.

Most of the professions are already

represented and many of the present members

of the two Councils are active in the sphere

of social welfare. There is no trade union

member on either of the Councils and given the

deep political rift (between pro Taiwan and

pro Communist elements) in the trade union

movement in the Colony there would, in the

view of the Governor and ourselves, be grave

political dangers in appointing such a

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/member