HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
advice she was given was correct or incorrect is really irrelevant in this particular context.
MR. HU: --Mr. Chairman, I would ask you a further question. She called at Urban Services Department headquarters the same afternoon and was told by Senior Inspector Wall of the Hawker Control Force that there had been a misunderstanding on the part of the Police. Was that misunderstanding referred to what I said to you, Mr. Chairman, that the confiscation was wrong?
CHAIRMAN: Not really, Sir. When she came, she was told simply that it was a police matter, as they were handling the case and had carried out the confiscation. It was felt that they should consider the question of compensation rather than the Urban Council.
MR. HU: Mr. Chairman, I am sorry to ask you these questions but this case really stirs my conscience, so that I feel very strongly for this female hawker to be sent from one place to another and giving her the wrong advice, and I would further ask you Mr. Chairman, is it correct that the Magistrate concerned is the only person who really enforces our law?
CHAIRMAN: Sir, you are introducing new matter. I must regretfully inform you that I consider your question to be out of order.
DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, I think that "female hawker" is a horrible term. It sounds like some sort of species of animal or something like that. I would much prefer to refer to her as 'this lady' or by her name 'Madam LAM'. I think that these words could be implied as not very nice.
CHAIRMAN: I really do not see anything derogatory in the phrase 'a female hawker'. She was in fact a hawker and she was a female. (Laughter).
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Sir, does that infer that she was not a lady?
CHAIRMAN: I would have been prepared to amend it to 'a lady hawker' (Laughter), but it seems perfectly adequate and certainly in no manner disrespectful.
DR. BELL: Sir, perhaps a 'woman hawker' might have been a little bit more polite than 'female hawker'. 'Female' is always applied in a rather derogatory manner.
CHAIRMAN: Not by me. (Laughter).
DR. BELL: I am a female member of this Council. (Laughter).
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MR. BERNACCHI: Can I make a personal statement. pression 'female hawker' was used in the question because it was taken from the translation of the article by the Government Information Services.
DR. BELL: That is rather what one would expect.
CHAIRMAN: May I assure you that no disrespect was intended and that I shall be scrupulous in future to observe your sensibilities in this regard.
DR. BELL: May I ask another supplementary. Why was an interpreter necessary at the Police Station?
CHAIRMAN: That is new matter and I am afraid that I am not prepared to admit the question. I do not think it is really relevant to the subject or the question.
MR. SALES: Was it a female inspector? (Laughter).
CHAIRMAN: If there are no more supplementary questions on this interesting point, may I suggest that with the concurrence of Members we should have a recess for ten minutes so that we may refresh ourselves before we proceed to the business of motions. (Laughter).
MOTIONS.
(1) Mr. A. de O. SALES moved the following motion:
That Government be asked for all the land on the southern side of Hong Kong Island reserved for hill parks and playgrounds to be allocated progressively to this Council so that development in stages may start forthwith. He said: Mr. Chairman, let me say at once that the Council is much encouraged by the increasing co-operation that is given by all concerned in Government for the development of open land as public pleasure grounds. This being the case this Council can now look forward to much more progress being made in the years ahead. Still, we must not be complacent; rather, we must continue our search for more land to be turned into gardens, playgrounds, picnic areas and the like, for despite the progress made in this decade no man can say that Hong Kong has all the recreational amenities that are needed or even that can be reasonably expected in our circumstances. So let us press on. For this reason I am introducing this motion. The land is there; we are told it has been reserved as open space for recreational purposes but we must take possession of it in a positive manner if we are to do any good at all. There is no satisfaction in just having land set aside for us.
Our duty is to develop it for public use as quickly as possible
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