HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MINUTES.
The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 5th March, 1957, with one amendment, were confirmed.
ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasant duty this afternoon, at the first meeting in what is, so to speak, the Council's new year, to extend a very warm welcome to our three new members; to Mr. Y. K. Kan and to Mr. A. de O. Sales, who have taken their seats as appointed members, and to our newly elected member, Mr. Hilton Cheong-Leen. Between them they bring to us a wealth of talent and experience from which, I have no doubt, the Council will greatly benefit in the years ahead.
Members would also, I am sure, wish me to congratulate Mr. Li Yiu Bor and Dr. P. F. Woo on their recent re-election.
I would also, on this occasion, like to pay a tribute to a former member who is not here today—Mr. P. C. Woo. He first took his seat as an elected member in May, 1953, and since then he has contributed a great deal of valuable time and thought to the work of this Council, particularly in the Law Revision and the Bathing Beaches & Swimming Pools Select Committees of which he was Chairman. I am sure all members will agree that he has served the public well, and that we shall miss him.
Finally, members will have heard, as I did, with very great surprise and regret, of the resignation of Mr. Brook Bernacchi. The terms of Mr. Bernacchi's letter of resignation have been published in the newspapers, and in view of this I do not think it would be appropriate for me to say anything further today.
DR. GOSANO:—Mr. Chairman, we the nominated unofficial members wish to support your words, and we can assure the new members that we shall do our best to make their stay with us a pleasant one.
PAPERS.
THE CHAIRMAN laid upon the table the following papers:—
(i) Report on the work of the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department for the month of March, 1957.
(ii) Letter dated 15th March, 1957 from the Deputy Colonial Secretary.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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He said: As regards the second of these, members will recall that at the meeting of this Council two months ago a motion was moved to the effect that "Government be asked to consider whether, having regard to the statutory and other responsibilities carried by this Council, it will be in the public interest for the composition of certain committees and boards to be so altered as to include a representative of the Urban Council." This motion was carried without division, and the matter referred to Government.
Government's reply has now been received and is laid on the table for the information of members.
QUESTIONS.
DR. P. F. Woo asked the following question:
“For the public interest, would the Chairman disclose the reasons for the Council's decision in not approving the "aerial spray" for combating mosquitoes?”
THE CHAIRMAN tabled the following written reply:
"The reasons for the Council's decision were published in paragraph 27 of the report on the work of the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department for April-June, 1956, which reads as follows:
Consideration was given to the possibility of aerial spraying. Unfortunately the pest mosquito, like the fly, becomes very rapidly resistant to the residual insecticides which can be used in such operations, such as D.D.T. Even more important is the fact that the places in which these pest mosquitoes breed are seldom exposed to aerial spraying. The advice of the experts is that spraying from the air, the expense of which would be considerable, would affect comparatively few mosquitoes, and would in fact probably do more harm, by way of creating resistance to the insecticide used, than good by way of killing mosquitoes and larvae. In the light of this advice the
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