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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
DR. P. F. Woo:—I would like to begin by paying my tribute to the secretarial staff of the Council for their efficiency, especially to our able Secretary who has devoted all his spare time to the completion of the work of this Council. Records have been set last year both in the number of committee meetings and in the number of hours spent in committee discussions. The work of the Council has greatly increased in magnitude. This together with the frequent changes in the policies of the various select committees has made the Secretary's duties of paramount importance, for not only is he responsible for the work in the Council, but his experience and knowledge of the proceedings of the select committees make him a good adviser to the Council as a whole and to members in particular. It seems to me that we cannot dispose of his valuable service and that any changes in the Secretary would inevitably affect the running of the Council. I feel therefore, sir, that this post should be made permanent.
During the last year much improvement has taken place in the Urban Services Department, but efficiency is far from perfect. Recently it has come to light that roast-meat shops have not complied with the laid-down conditions and requirements and that restaurants and eating establishments have violated many of the by-laws. Dr. Black has pointed out that many of these establishments are below standard. From my personal observation, it is not impossible that public bath-houses, latrines, food factories and other establishments under the control of the Council might be in the same conditions too. It is the responsibility of the members in the relevant select committees to see that these establishments are in order and I suggest, sir, that the members concerned should pay regular visits to these establishments so that they can see for themselves the existing conditions and find means to improve them instead of spending hours on theoretical discussions in the Council Chamber without first-hand information on the practical side. I fail to see why some members advocate the enlargement of the scope of the Council when there is still so much inefficiency in its work at present. In the past, I made my decisions according to my conscience and supported motions dealing with improvements, but I will never support any motion made purely for the purpose of publicity. The public has now given me their support and I will continue to do as I have done before.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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The condition of hawkers has become the biggest problem to the Council. They must be recognized now as a distinct trading community. All possible assistance should be given to them and their co-operation obtained so that they can do their business within the scope of law. It must be made clear to them that they are directly under the control of the Urban Council.
I must voice again my opinion regarding the siting of hawkers in streets: if motor traffic is to be kept open, hawkers must be sited on one side only. All motorists must have experienced the danger in driving through streets like Bridges Street and many others in both Hong Kong and Kowloon. Many of the stalls in these streets have extended their permitted sizes by many times and it is frightful to imagine how fire-engines can pass through these streets in case of fire. Attempts must be made, therefore, to keep safety for the hawkers as well as for members of the public.
The time has now come for the Council to decide a definite policy on Markets. We must make a choice whether to continue to license food-shops or to build new markets. The revenue from markets has dropped considerably in the last few years. Many market stalls have paid exaggerated rentals and for these stalls some protection and consideration should be provided to safeguard them against competition by food-shops. (Applause).
MR. R. C. LEE :-Mr. Chairman, despite the good work done by the Resettlement Department, no solution to our squatter problem is yet in sight. Squatting in streets is under control but squatting on roof tops appears to be on the increase. Some tenants after obtaining compensation for disturbance in exemption cases instead of finding alternative accommodation choose to become squatters either on Crown land or on roof tops; and some principal tenants who are making large profit by sub-letting are meanwhile themselves squatters by choice. This state of affairs is unsatisfactory. In order to provide some counter measure one method would be to keep a record of all those families or individuals who have received compensation for disturbance and to exclude them from any scheme for Resettlement or Clearance.
With the rapid increase in population I can see that the squatter situation is going to get worse and worse, unless we can quickly provide adequate housing. Whatever views one may hold on the subject, it cannot be denied that the only solution is
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