TNAG-0320-FCO40-356-Petitions-from-Rural-Consultative-Council-for-the-New-Territ-1971 — Page 7

Mr Laird

14

FKK • 115(3)

13

B

да

D

REPRESENTATIONS FROM THE HEUNG YEE KUK

1.

Under cover of a letter dated 9 March 1971 the Chairman and two Vice-Chairmen of the Heung Yee Kuk sent Mr Royle copies of two newspaper articles by Mr J C H Marriott, a former Administrative Officer in the Hong Kong Civil Service. The articles in question were critical of the Hong Kong Government's administration of the New Territories. Mr Royle was already aware of the existence of these newspaper articles since they had been referred to by Mr Rankin in a Parliamentary Question on 1 March 1971.

2.

We asked the Governor for his recommendations as regards the reply to be sent to the Heung Yee Kuk's letter and these are now attached.

3. It appears that the Heung Yee Kuk had sent a similar letter to the Governor who has sent us a copy of his reply to them. He has recommended that the Minister's reply should follow the same lines, but with this I do not agree. I do not think that the Minister would wish to associate himself with paragraph 2 of the Governor's own reply to the Heung Yee Kuk.

4.

An alternative reply is accordingly attached in the form of a Draft Saving Despatch to the Governor.

6 May 1971

An Fami

A W Gaminara

Hong Kong Department

(145181) Dd. 737490 750M 1/71 Hw.