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world. For example, we need an up-to-date research centre for local industries; we have not exhausted our efforts to look for and strengthen our overseas markets, etc. To help local industries is a creative measure while to encourage the developers to build more buildings does not make for favourable balance of trade. It may sometimes bring immediate public revenue to the Government, but it may also upset the whole balance of economy. During the last 4 or 5 years I always voiced my concern about the over-emphasis on the building enterprises. It seems that my voice was never heard.
The third example to explain the creative need is with regard to the Hawker problem: While I support, Mr. Chairman, the aims of this Council concerning hawkers, I always think that we should find ways and means to solve the hawker problem fundamentally. It is not enough to treat hawkers with fairness and kindness. Their living standard can only be raised if they can be helped to find proper jobs. Mr. FUNG Hon-chu yesterday did mention Industrial Training Advisory Committee. It is a good idea but it is not adequate. In my view, some sort of ad hoc committee should be formed to study this question in a thorough and co-ordinated manner. The purpose for setting up such ad hoc committee is to find ways and means to gradually reduce the numbers of hawkers in Hong Kong.
Fourth example, Mr. Chairman. It is also an unfair phenomenon in this Colony that many workers here are still engaged on a daily basis. If the workers have served in an enterprise for, say, three months, they ought to acquire the status on a monthly basis at least and entitled to have one month's notice. Once a worker has been engaged for three months, he or she can not be further employed on a daily basis in that same enterprise. Steps must be taken to insure the minimum guarantee for the economic stability of our community. A worker or employee who is sacked on daily basis has nothing to fall back upon.
Unlike in the United Kingdom, there is no unemployment benefit here. Such daily basis working system is something belonging to the epoch of industrial revolution in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The fifth example, Mr. Chairman, is about the fare increases. To increase transport fares at the present time is not a creative move. It may bring out a chain of evil reactions. This question should not be viewed purely from the technical point of view. We should have an over-all consideration. It is therefore not a correct attitude if this question is to be left to the Transport Advisory Committee alone to consider. Their technical advice may sometimes confuse the whole and real issue. Government can not shelve their responsibility to say "yes" or "no" behind so-called technical advice about this important question.
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Lastly, I should pay my tribute to those Hong Kong citizens who without any assistance and against all odds have contributed their Private schools and their efforts to educate our future generation. teachers deserve our gratitude. I should particularly mention the roof top schools. Their efforts have given the children in various resettlement estates a chance to attend the schools, otherwise it would be denied to them. They certainly play an important role in giving popular education to poor children. They well deserve a helping hand from the Government. Government should also on the other hand assist, in a limited way, Private Post-Secondary Colleges. We have each year now about 15,000 middle-school graduates, but the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University can hardly take 10 percent of this number. The rest should either go abroad to study or to find themselves in one of those private colleges. To study abroad is limited to those privileged students whose family can afford to send them. But they still encounter the two main difficulties, Mr. Chairman: the over-crowdedness in other countries' universities and the difficulty of the knowledge of foreign languages. My suggestion to the Government is that the graduates of such private post-secondary colleges need not be given an equal status with those from the Hong Kong University or from the Chinese University, but certain recognition and encouragement must be given by the Government. Such a move is surely for the benefit of entire society. We have an increasing number of young people every year. It is a far-sighted policy to give them adequate education in Hong Kong if that is their wish.
Before I sit down, Mr. Chairman, I must express my pleasure of working under your Chairmanship together with my official and unofficial colleagues and also with the elected members in this Council in a very harmonious way. Indeed we may have different opinions or views on various matters. But we are sincere, Mr. Chairman. The importance of this Council lies on the fact that it comes more in touch with the feelings and aspirations of the man in the street than any Departments of the Government. Every encouragement should therefore be given to this Council, as being an important link between the Government and the man in street.
As such the Council is able to feel the pulse of the common man. It is my firm conviction Mr. Chairman that the future development of any democratic institutions in Hong Kong, depends, in a large measure, on how this Council works and what this Council achieves.
With these remarks I beg to support the motion concerning the aims of this Council. (Applause).
MR. SOLOMON Rafeek:-Mr. Chairman, no one will deny that in the past ten years we have made such tremendous progress in all fields
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