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Another matter, Mr. Chairman, again in a different field, to which I wish to refer is the serious threat to public hygiene arising out of "one-bay" restaurants being tolerated in the resettlement estates. It has already been our policy that one-bay premises can only be used as coffee shops, and not as restaurants serving cooked food. Arguments have been advanced to justify departure from this policy on the grounds that, in the absence of two-bay accommodation, the elimination of one-bay restaurants would cause inconvenience to the residents and might result in the appearance of unauthorized and undesirable cooked-food stalls. I do not think that this plea is sufficient to justify tolerance of a most unsatisfactory state of affairs. The conditions in one-bay restaurants which I saw on my visit to the Chai Wan estate were shocking, to say the least. It is my contention that no indulgence at the expense of public health can be justified. I would urge that two-bay premises be made available as quickly as possible to meet this problem.
Sir, I would also like to add a word about the recent census of the Colony's population. I feel most gratified that henceforth we would have at our disposal more adequate data to be better guided in our attempts to solve the manifold problems confronting us and a better understanding of urban affairs. The authorities are to be rightly complimented on the task so ably undertaken.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you.
MR. CHAN SHU-WOON: - Mr. Chairman, after hearing your Statement of Progress and Policy and the speeches made by Mr. BERNACCHI and other members, I am convinced that the Council intends to do its best in promoting the welfare of the people of Hong Kong and planning what will make this Colony a better place to live in.
There has been progress in the work of this Council during the past year, but there are still many problems which have to be tackled. I want to point out just a few of these problems for our future considerations.
Firstly, up to now, there are still a large number of people who need immediate resettlement. The insufficiency of Government funds and building sites have retarded our work in having more resettlement estates built. The urgent housing needs of people with low income are not being met. If Government would set aside large portions of land in suitable resettlement areas and let private enterprises take up these lands for building blocks in accordance with the plans previously drawn and let the people who need urgent accommodation rent it on similar conditions, I am sure the capital would become available and it will help solve the problem of resettlement.
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The present resettlement policy should be more effectively executed in order to resettle the squatters before ordering them to give up their huts or homes; otherwise, it is just like moving the squatters from one place to another without improving their living conditions. Moreover, whenever and wherever eviction orders have to be enforced, we ought to do everything possible to find living spaces for those thrown on the streets; otherwise, it will make more homeless people, more social disorder and more complaints from the public.
Secondly, there is a Chinese saying, "The most serious thing in life is to have a piece of ground upon which to stand and a piece of ground in which to bury the dead". Now it is a general feeling in Hong Kong that we do not have enough public burial places, especially for the poor people. I think the Council, if it is unable to solve this problem alone, should make plans to grant lands to public bodies such as non-profit incorporated or charity organizations, so that the expenses for the burial of the dead will be kept low enough to help the poor.
At present, when a man dies, he can be buried either at the Chinese Permanent Cemetery, Wo Hop Shek Cemetery or others. If buried at the former, the deceased's family must pay at least one thousand dollars for an area of not more than eighteen square feet as a grave space. The application for such a burial place must be sent to the authority concerned together with a letter of introduction from a prominent or authorized person. This causes much inconvenience to the dead's family. If the dead are buried at Wo Hop Shek Cemetery or other public cemetery, the remains have to be exhumed in six years' time. The whole position is thoroughly unsatisfactory.
Thirdly, the services rendered by the Council, the various government departments and the public utilities may be at times far from efficient or satisfactory. In particular, lack of politeness is a very general complaint.
A special select committee, I suggest, should be set up to deal with these matters and possibly co-operate with the representatives from various public organizations or public institutions.
Fourthly, the public as taxpayers have the right to know what the Council is doing and how government funds allocated to the Council are spent. The detailed budget of the Council should be more well revealed to the public every year. And I would also welcome a more detailed report of all the select committees' work in the monthly reports as laid on the table.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I wish to say that owing to the fact that the province of the Council authority is limited, I regret very much that we are unable to do more for the people of Hong Kong under the present circumstances. I hope that the Government will look into these
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