TNAG-1330-FCO40-1757-Future-of-Hong-Kong-test-of-the-acceptability-of-the-Joint-D-1984 — Page 71

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY 06103OZ

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG C6094OZ NOV 84

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 3333 OF 6 NOVEMBER

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

FOR GALSWORTHY, HKD

FROM GOVERNOR

HONG KONG AGREEMENT: ASSESSMENT OFFICE REPORT.

189

TOP COPY

HKK 040/46 040/46

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

الار

1

06 NOV 1984

OFFICER

PA

так

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE COMMISSIONER'S IDEAS ON THE PROPOSED CONTENT OF THE REPORT AND RELATED ISSUES.

(A) REPORT.

1. VOLUME ONE OF THE REPORT, WHICH WILL INCLUDE THE BACKGROUND

TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE, THE PUBLIC RESPONSE,

AND AN ASSESSMENT OF SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED, IS LIKELY TO RUN TO

APPROXIMATELY 80 PAGES OF TYPESCRIPT.

2. THE LENGTH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE REPORT WILL DEPEND ON WHETHER

THE VIEWS OF ONLY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, THE URBAN COUNCIL,

HEUNG YEE KUK AND DISTRICT BOARDS ARE REPRODUCED IN FULL: OR

WHETHER THE VIEWS OF ALL OTHER ORGANISATIONS WHO HAVE MADE

SUBMISSIONS TO THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE ARE ALSO REPRODUCED IN FULL. IN FORMER CASE, ONE FURTHER VOLUME, RUNNING TO APPROXIMATELY 200 TYPESCRIPT PAGES, WOULD BE NECESSARY: IN THE LATTER CASE, TWO FURTHER VOLUMES OF APPROXIMATELY 200 TYPESCRIPT PAGES EACH. (1.E. EITHER TWO VOLUMES OR THREE VOLUMES IN ALL).

3. HE HAS SO FAR RECIVED SUBMISSIONS FROM 109 ORGANISATIONS, AND THE FINAL TOTAL COULD BE IN THE REGION OF 150. THE ORGANISATIONS

RANGE FROM MAJOR TERRITORY-WIDE ORGANISATIONS, WITH A SUBSTANTIAL

MEMBERSHIP, SUCH AS THE CHINESE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION, TO VERY MINOR ORGANISATIONS, WITH A LIMITED MEMBERSHIP, AND OFTEN WITH POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS.

4. WE CONSIDER THAT THERE WOULD BE ADVANTAGE IN REPORDUCING ALL SUBMISSIONS FROM ORGANISATIONS, AS THESE WILL GIVE A BETTER INDICATION OF THE RANGE OF OPINION EXPRESSED ON THE AGREEMENT THAN

THE COMMENTS ONLY OF THE COUNCILS, HEUNG YEE KUK AND DISTRICT

BOARDS. IT WOULD ALSO REMOVE ANY BASIS FOR A COMPLAINT THAT WE

HAD BEEN SELECTIVE IN ONE CHOICE OF SUBMISSIONS TO BE REPRODUCED.

AN ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE TO REPRODUCE IN FULL ONLY THE VIEWS OF MAJOR, TERRITORY-WIDE FUNCTIONAL ORGANISATIONS (E.G. THE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, FEDERATION OF HONG KONG INDUSTRIES ETC). THIS WOULD GREATLY REDUCE THE VOLUME, AND THE LOGISTICAL PROBLEMS, OF

PRINTING. BUT IT WOULD IN PRACTICE BE DIFFICULT TO DECIDE

OBJECTIVELY WHICH VIEWS SHOULD BE INCLUDED, AND WHICH EXCLUDED. WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO LEARN WHICH MINISTERS WOULD PREFER BY

0909OOZ.

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CONFIDENTIAL /S. IF

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