CO_1030_1459_HONG_KONG_CONSTITUTIONAL_DEVELOPMENT_1963_1965 — Page 339

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Orig.

FED/AG.143

CONFIDENTIAL

29th July, 1963

You may like to have a note on the visits of Rodrigues and Lee. The arrangements we made for them to see Ministers and officials were, with some hitches and cancellations, successfully carried through. Our difficulties arose from the Secretary of State's unexpected visit to British Guiana and Ministers' preoccupation with the Malts Independence Conference.

Rodrigues saw John Martin on the 15th and the Secretary of State on the 22nd. Lee saw Poynton on the 22nd and the Secretary of State on the 23rd.

Martin told Rodrigues in confidence on the 15th July about the impending ennouncement of Trench's appointment. Rodrigues' comment was that the appointment would be very popular locally. Lee mentioned to the Secretary of State that he and Rodrigues had planned, prior to the announcement of Trench's appointment, to raise the question of a further extension of your term of office. He expressed pleasure about the appointment and said he thought Trench would be a very popular Governor.

There is not much more to report about the discussions.

Martin and I had

a word with Rodrigues about the question of equal pay for women and, in particular, equal pay for women doctors (you will know that there has been some recent parliamentary interest in this and that there are two petitions from married women under consideration here.) We know that topics covered in Rodrigues' discussion with the Secretary of State included:

(i) housing;

(11) trade and economic development in the light of the breakdown in

the Brussels negotiations;

(iii) the Peking Government's attitude towards Hong Kong.

But we have no details. Rodrigues also raised the question of a visit to Hong Kong with the Secretary of State, who explained that he had been hoping to make one this autumn but, owing to the pressure of his other commitments, had regretfully come to the conclusion that this would not be possible.

In his talks with Poynton and the Secretary of State Lee raised the possible enlargement of the Legislative Council. He said that his idea, which he had put forward before, was that various professional groups (lawyers, accountants, engineers, etc.) should be invited to put forward a panel of names from which the Governor would make appointments to the Legislature. Lee thought that each group might put forward three names but that any person appointed would be chosen

SIR ROBERT BLACK, GCMG, OFE,

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

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FONG KONG.

CONFIDENTIAL

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