7.
The Governor's proposals, briefly, are:-
(i) Executive Council: No change.
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(ii) Legislative Council: Present Council of eight
unofficial and nine official members to be enlarged by five and three respectively, making thirteen unofficial and twelve official members. This would convert an official majority of one into an unofficial majority of one, but the Governor's original and casting vote would ensure that the official view could if necessary prevail.
New official members to be the Director of Commerce and Industries, the District Commissioner of the New Territories and the Commissioner of Labour. New unofficials to be nominated within the Governor's discretion, i.e. no extension of system of nomination by outside organisations and interests, such as already exists in the case of two seats filled by nomination of JPs and General Chamber of Commerce.
These changes to take effect from 1st July, 1964.
(iii) Urban Council: Present Council of five official
members and sixteen unofficials (eight elected, eight nominated) to be enlarged by four unofficials (two elected, two nominated).
These changes to take effect from next Urban Council elections - 1st April, 1965.
(iv) Urban Council franchise, functions and responsibi-
lities: No change for the present but possible extension to be examined.
8.
Timing of announcement of changes. The Governor is anxious that his proposals should, if agreed, be announced before his departure on the 1st April. Otherwise, with the change of Governors, there must inevitably be delay. A considerable measure of agreement on these proposals is said to exist among unofficials, who have urged early implementation. To this end the Governor has copied the correspondence to Sir David Trench, who can be drawn into the discussion.
9. Possible Criticism. None of these proposals seem to
But see the indeed refer be of a nature likely to provoke any reaction from the CPG nor
i Jare is of (25)
does the Governor refer to this possibility. They will, I suggest, meet with public criticism here and in Hong Kong on two counts:
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A.
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No amount of tinkering with the number of unofficials on Legislative Council will make any difference if nominations are from the same narrow circle.
The proposals themselves will not provide any public indication that wider use of the nomination system is contemplated and in this respect the Governor's intentions are not very clearly revealed in paragraph 9 of (25) where he is principally concerned to state the difficulties of widening his choice.
He is, I suggest, right to reject the extension of outside nomination by professional or commercial interests. They are already preponderant on the Councils. But I wonder whether the only real chance of getting away from direct Governor's nomination has not been lost in
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