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the Police control parking meters. I would rather that we controlled nothing than that we had a divided responsibility of this sort. I propose that the Council be the authority in control of parking facilities in this Colony.
Now one point, Sir, on Questions. Questions asked in this Council are of very great importance for two particular reasons: one, if the Member who is asking the question does not know the answer and wants to know the answer, and two, where, even if he does know the answer, he wants the public to know that answer as well. But I do deprecate, Sir, and I hope we shall see less of, questions which are based upon matters that can easily be ascertained from documents that are already published documents.
Now Sir, also under what I might call a general category, I would refer to the question of air conditioning. I am Chairman of the Air Conditioning Select Committee and I stress that this Committee is completely held up by the fact that we cannot get the draft of the new Air Conditioning and Ventilation Ordinance and Regulations drafted. We have promised the public that we would have the law in force in time for the hot weather this year.
I am sure it will not be possible to do that now, simply because we have not got the legislation drafted. I strongly urge that Government be requested to give higher priority to subsidiary legislation essential for the proper functioning of this Council. We are very thankful for the assistance of Crown Counsel in the Law Revision but having done that we seem to be lagging far behind in any other form of legislation.
What has been laid on the table is in fact an official platform for the Council's work next year. I wholly approve of the idea of a platform. It may be that we will not always agree with the platform but it gives us something to chew into, something to debate about and it does give us a general direction for our arguments. This year we support the platform. In future years if it is found necessary to move amendments to that platform, I hope that the system as such will not be abandoned.
Finally I want to say one word about the Chairman of the Council. I very much agree with the words that Col. Clague has said as regards your predecessor, and I think this platform is very much his work. I also am sure, Sir, from my personal knowledge of you, that the affairs of this Council and the Urban Services Department will be in good hands with you. I say these words particularly because I want to go on to say this, that as a matter of principle we do feel that the Chairmanship of the Council should be a separate matter from the Directorship of the Urban Services Department. Indeed we feel that it is quite often possible for a conflict to arise between the duty of the Chairman as Chairman of the Council and his obligations to his department as Director of Urban Services. He may as Director of Urban Services have to advance views from his Department which do not find favour with this Council and I feel, we feel, that there is no reason at all to continue the system whereby the Director of Urban Services is ex officio the Chairman of the Council. I would like serious consideration to be given to the appointment of an Unofficial Member, maybe by way of election at the Annual General Meeting, as Chairman of the Council for the ensuing year.
With these words, Sir, we hope to support your platform and will certainly vote in favour of it. (Applause).
MR. A. DE O. SALES :-The luck of the draw finds an Appointed Member in the coveted position of last speaker. Why it should be so coveted, I do not know.
The experiment which you are conducting today when you break with tradition by introducing a motion at the Annual Debate is watched with considerable sympathy. That this Council should turn over a new leaf on All Fool's Day is not without significance, but then this is an assembly of no ordinary men for were we not rash enough to meet even on Guy Fawkes Day last year?
Health Education
Our plans for a health education programme, which covers the entire Colony and which explores many means to reach as great a number of people as possible, are about to be translated into action.
I assume not without reason that all the many grand efforts which are made in Hong Kong to combat disease and to improve the health of the people cannot make much headway, let alone achieve lasting success, without a firm foundation being laid in the form of a programme of health education intelligently drawn up and effectively carried out through a sustained period of time.
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Services Department will be in good hands with you. I Say these words particularly because I want to go on to say this, that as a matter of principle we do feel that the Chairmanship of the Council should be a separate matter from the Directorship of the Urban Services Department.
47
is removed as it is redundant and already shown at the beginning of the page.The final output is:
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
the Police control parking meters. I would rather that we controlled nothing than that we had a divided responsibility of this sort. I propose that the Council be the authority in control of parking facilities in this Colony.
Now one point, Sir, on Questions. Questions asked in this Council are of very great importance for two particular reasons: one, if the Member who is asking the question does not know the answer and wants to know the answer, and two, where, even if he does know the answer, he wants the public to know that answer as well. But I do deprecate, Sir, and I hope we shall see less of, questions which are based upon matters that can easily be ascertained from documents that are already published documents.
Now Sir, also under what I might call a general category, I would refer to the question of air conditioning. I am Chairman of the Air Conditioning Select Committee and I stress that this Committee is completely held up by the fact that we cannot get the draft of the new Air Conditioning and Ventilation Ordinance and Regulations drafted. We have promised the public that we would have the law in force in time for the hot weather this year.
I am sure it will not be possible to do that now, simply because we have not got the legislation drafted. I strongly urge that Government be requested to give higher priority to subsidiary legislation essential for the proper functioning of this Council. We are very thankful for the assistance of Crown Counsel in the Law Revision but having done that we seem to be lagging far behind in any other form of legislation.
What has been laid on the table is in fact an official platform for the Council's work next year. I wholly approve of the idea of a platform. It may be that we will not always agree with the platform but it gives us something to chew into, something to debate about and it does give us a general direction for our arguments. This year we support the platform. In future years if it is found necessary to move amendments to that platform, I hope that the system as such will not be abandoned.
Finally I want to say one word about the Chairman of the Council. I very much agree with the words that Col. Clague has said as regards your predecessor, and I think this platform is very much his work. I also am sure, Sir, from my personal knowledge of you, that the affairs of this Council and the Urban Services Department will be in good hands with you. I say these words particularly because I want to go on to say this, that as a matter of principle we do feel that the Chairmanship of the Council should be a separate matter from the Directorship of the Urban Services Department. Indeed we feel that it is quite often possible for a conflict to arise between the duty of the Chairman as Chairman of the Council and his obligations to his department as Director of Urban Services. He may as Director of Urban Services have to advance views from his Department which do not find favour with this Council and I feel, we feel, that there is no reason at all to continue the system whereby the Director of Urban Services is ex officio the Chairman of the Council. I would like serious consideration to be given to the appointment of an Unofficial Member, maybe by way of election at the Annual General Meeting, as Chairman of the Council for the ensuing year.
With these words, Sir, we hope to support your platform and will certainly vote in favour of it. (Applause).
MR. A. DE O. SALES :-The luck of the draw finds an Appointed Member in the coveted position of last speaker. Why it should be so coveted, I do not know.
The experiment which you are conducting today when you break with tradition by introducing a motion at the Annual Debate is watched with considerable sympathy. That this Council should turn over a new leaf on All Fool's Day is not without significance, but then this is an assembly of no ordinary men for were we not rash enough to meet even on Guy Fawkes Day last year?
Health Education
Our plans for a health education programme, which covers the entire Colony and which explores many means to reach as great a number of people as possible, are about to be translated into action.
I assume not without reason that all the many grand efforts which are made in Hong Kong to combat disease and to improve the health of the people cannot make much headway, let alone achieve lasting success, without a firm foundation being laid in the form of a programme of health education intelligently drawn up and effectively carried out through a sustained period of time.
Page 33 of 139
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
is rewritten asPage 33 of 139
46
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
the Police control parking meters. I would rather that we controlled nothing than that we had a divided responsibility of this sort. I propose that the Council be the authority in control of parking facilities in this Colony.
Now one point, Sir, on Questions. Questions asked in this Council are of very great importance for two particular reasons: one, if the Member who is asking the question does not know the answer and wants to know the answer, and two, where, even if he does know the answer, he wants the public to know that answer as well. But I do deprecate, Sir, and I hope we shall see less of, questions which are based upon matters that can easily be ascertained from documents that are already published documents.
Now Sir, also under what I might call a general category, I would refer to the question of air conditioning. I am Chairman of the Air Conditioning Select Committee and I stress that this Committee is completely held up by the fact that we cannot get the draft of the new Air Conditioning and Ventilation Ordinance and Regulations drafted. We have promised the public that we would have the law in force in time for the hot weather this year.
I am sure it will not be possible to do that now, simply because we have not got the legislation drafted. I strongly urge that Government be requested to give higher priority to subsidiary legislation essential for the proper functioning of this Council. We are very thankful for the assistance of Crown Counsel in the Law Revision but having done that we seem to be lagging far behind in any other form of legislation.
What has been laid on the table is in fact an official platform for the Council's work next year. I wholly approve of the idea of a platform. It may be that we will not always agree with the platform but it gives us something to chew into, something to debate about and it does give us a general direction for our arguments. This year we support the platform. In future years if it is found necessary to move amendments to that platform, I hope that the system as such will not be abandoned.
Finally I want to say one word about the Chairman of the Council. I very much agree with the words that Col. Clague has said as regards your predecessor, and I think this platform is very much his work. I also am sure, Sir, from my personal knowledge of you, that the affairs of this Council and the Urban Services Department will be in good hands with you. I say these words particularly because I want to go on to say this, that as a matter of principle we do feel that the Chairmanship of the Council should be a separate matter from the Directorship of the Urban Services Department. Indeed we feel that it is quite often possible for a conflict to arise between the duty of the Chairman as Chairman of the Council and his obligations to his department as Director of Urban Services. He may as Director of Urban Services have to advance views from his Department which do not find favour with this Council and I feel, we feel, that there is no reason at all to continue the system whereby the Director of Urban Services is ex officio the Chairman of the Council. I would like serious consideration to be given to the appointment of an Unofficial Member, maybe by way of election at the Annual General Meeting, as Chairman of the Council for the ensuing year.
With these words, Sir, we hope to support your platform and will certainly vote in favour of it. (Applause).
MR. A. DE O. SALES :-The luck of the draw finds an Appointed Member in the coveted position of last speaker. Why it should be so coveted, I do not know.
The experiment which you are conducting today when you break with tradition by introducing a motion at the Annual Debate is watched with considerable sympathy. That this Council should turn over a new leaf on All Fool's Day is not without significance, but then this is an assembly of no ordinary men for were we not rash enough to meet even on Guy Fawkes Day last year?
Health Education
Our plans for a health education programme, which covers the entire Colony and which explores many means to reach as great a number of people as possible, are about to be translated into action.
I assume not without reason that all the many grand efforts which are made in Hong Kong to combat disease and to improve the health of the people cannot make much headway, let alone achieve lasting success, without a firm foundation being laid in the form of a programme of health education intelligently drawn up and effectively carried out through a sustained period of time.
Page 33 of 139