CO_1030_1459_HONG_KONG_CONSTITUTIONAL_DEVELOPMENT_1963_1965 — Page 70

- 3-

SECRET

Page 70 uneducated and I doubt if they have the faintest real notion of the implications of the courses they are bandying about. Equally, the lack of any lead on our part on where we are heading leaves the field clear to them - and at least they are trying to formulate some ideas.

The obvious way that first occurs to one of trying to get things back on a straight- forward course is to set firm geographical limits to the Urban Council and to reinforce these limits by setting up at least one or two other local authorities (one would do for this purpose). Having done this, the most immediate dangers could be more easily held in check, and one could more safely consider a measured evolution of the Urban Council in response to the demands for change (in some ways, not unreasonable demands) that are being made.

By this I do not by any means intend to suggest that the Council should be a body with any very wide powers, which I would not advocate here, but only that it might perhaps be constituted on rather more orthodox lines and possibly with some expansion in its functions. It is not necessary, for the purposes of this letter, to go into how this might be done: the relevant points are that if the aim of setting some clear limits to the elected members' pretensions is achieved, the nature of the Council can be opened to reconsideration, which is now difficult; and, second, that any changes affecting the Council in any way will be complex, hotly and openly debated, and accompanied by polemics.

6 Reinforcing the desirability of

limiting the Urban Council geographically is the projected establishment of further new towns at Castle Peak and Shatin. Contiguity might excuse the inclusion of Tsuen Wan in the Urban Council area

although Tsuen Wan opinion, if not agreed on any alternative, would be much opposed to this action); but once having swallowed Tsuen Wan, which they are at present half expecting to be allowed to do on the basis of government statements made in the past, the elected members' appetite for Castle Peak and Shatin would be well whetted: and to extend the scope of th

the Page 70 ouncil to this extent might, by making a nonsense of any pretence that the Urban Council is a local

}