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understand the law and to mitigate a situation whereby hawkers are quite a number of them plagued by being intimidated or even sometimes of having to pay "squeeze money" or other factors arising from ignorance of the law.
MR. Y. K. KAN:- I am very grateful to Mr. CHEONG-LEEN for pressing the point which I raised at the debate for the adoption of the Hawkers Report.
MR. A. DE O. SALES:- May I speak on this as well on the experience of my service on the appropriate Select Committee. I felt that there is a counter-part danger in our relations with hawkers. If anything, my experience and feeling has been that often hawkers have intimidated the Urban Services Department into taking action which is contrary to the interest of the public. While, as I said before when the Hawker Control Unit Report was introduced, the Urban Council does not wish to deprive anybody of a means of livelihood - of earning an honest living; at the same time the Urban Council has the duty to protect the general interest of the public. Any relaxation, as has been proved in effect in Kowloon, of control over hawkers would have the hawkers descending upon all areas, which are now not open to them, and, Mr. Chairman, I have never found a hawker who has not been able to understand how far he can go with the Police and with the Urban Services Department. In effect I feel that, if anything, the interest of the public has not been protected in respect to this problem of hawkers as it ought to be, as the taxpayers are entitled to be protected from their depredations and taking advantage of positions which are created by them. May I have these observations minuted.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- With your permission, Mr. Chairman, as a point of clarification, may I suggest that Mr. SALES sit on the Hawkers Executive Select Committee next year in order to meet some of these--
CHAIRMAN:- Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, I am afraid that you are only permitted to speak once.
The question was put.
The Motion was carried unanimously.
TRIBUTE TO THE HON. C. G. M. MORRISON, CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL.
MR. C. Y. KWAN:- As this is the last meeting of the Council to be presided over by our Chairman as chairman of the Council I would like to say a few words on behalf of the Unofficial Nominated Members of this Council. While we all agree that our Chairman has well earned his vacation which is shortly to begin, it is a sad thing to know that
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he will relinquish the chairmanship of this Council upon his leaving us for his vacation. Colin, as he is affectionately known to us all, has during his term of office proved himself to be a friend to us all. He has always been courteous and co-operative. He is a very hard-working chairman. He has never failed to oblige us with such information as we have asked for. The conscientious manner in which he has discharged his duties in this Council has rightly earned him our respect. His retirement from the chairmanship of this Council will be a loss to us, but we sincerely hope that that will not mean the end of his association with this Council, for with the wealth of his experience in our work here his service and advice cannot but be of great value to the Council.
Colin, on behalf of my colleagues and myself, we wish you and Mrs. MORRISON good luck, good health and a happy holiday. (Applause).
DR. R. H. S. LEE:- Mr. Chairman, on behalf of the Reform Club members, I would like to associate with Mr. KWAN's remarks in respect to your departure from this Council, and I want to tell you how very happy we are in working with you in this Council and that knowing you as I do, I am sure that you do not want me to say at great length about the very big virtues about yourself. A lily does not require much gilding, but I would like to add and wish you a very nice holiday and best of luck.
Only to-day we have a memorandum saying that we will miss also the Secretary of this Council, Mr. MITCHELL. I would like to say how very much indebted we are to Mr. MITCHELL during his tenure as Secretary of the Urban Council. On behalf of the Reform Club members, I would also like to extend our best wishes to Mr. MITCHELL. (Applause).
MR. LI YIU-BOR:- I would like to associate myself with Mr. KWAN and Dr. Raymond LEE on your going home on leave. We have been working very happily under you for two years and we are very sad that you should be leaving us so soon. I think one quality which I have found in you is your very great patience with which you have dealt with many problems, particularly the problem of answering supplementary questions. (Laughter). May I take this opportunity, Sir, in wishing you and Mrs. MORRISON a very happy holiday. I should like also to say good-bye to Mr. MITCHELL who has been with us for a short time but who has already given us very noble service in his capacity as Secretary of the Urban Council. (Applause).
MR. C. Y. Kwan: On behalf of the Nominated Members I also would like to associate the remarks made by my colleagues Dr. LEE and Mr. Li Yiu-bor about Mr. MITCHELL. (Applause).
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