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G.F. 323
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actions, but free to take their decisions without the intervention of officials. The Council will however be empowered by the new legislation to co-opt on to its Committees the Director of Urban Services and other staff of the Urban Services Department, the Commissioner for Resettlement or his representative and, with the approval of the Colonial Secretary, public officers from other Government departments as the need arises.
Unofficial Membership
14
The number of the remaining members will, it is proposed, be increased from ten elected and ten appointed to twelve elected and twelve appointed members, a total of twenty four.
Communications between the Council and the Colonial Secretary
15
The normal channel of communication between the Council and Goverment will be between the Chairman or Secretary of the Council on the one hand and the Colonial Secretary on the other.
The Urban Council's Standing Orders
16
It is proposed that the Council's Standing Orders should be subject to approval by the Legislative Council. In the past the Urban Council has been free to determine its own Standing Orders, an arrangement which will be considerably less appropriate after the changes proposed in this paper have been implemented.
Annual Conventional Debate
17
By long-standing convention Urban Councillors freely discuss ultra vires matters at their annual debate. Although this is an anomaly which tends to obscure the true role of the Council it has acquired the status of tradition and Government does not at present propose to interfere with it.
Membership of Official Committees
1817
Where it is in the public interest that Urban Councillors should be appointed to official Committees, they will normally only be appointed on a personal basis, and not as representatives of the Council.
Franchise
1918
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The present number of those eligible to vote includes most rate-payers, all tax-payers, and all with a secondary or higher education, besides many other categories of private persons amounting to some 250,000 - 300,000 adults in all; and it is not proposed to extend the franchise any further at present nor to introduce the automatic registration of voters. However, the categories of persons eligible to vote will be reviewed from time to time. Residents of the New Territories who are amongst the categories eligible to vote will retain this right. A minor change which appears to be desirable is the extension of disqualification from voting in the case of individuals serving prison sentences for a longer period than the actual term of imprisonment, and this will be considered further.
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CONFIDENTIAL
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