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and I value his thoughts on ways and means of stimulating interest in sports in general and of developing our sportsmen to their full potential.
In the realm of sport the Government authorities responsible, including the Urban Council, have until now been concerned mainly with providing the necessary facilities, either by grants of land to private sports clubs or by themselves providing public facilities such as playing fields, tennis courts and swimming pools. The administration and development of sport have been left almost entirely in the hands of the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, various governing bodies, and individual clubs, with the Education Department contributing in respect of schools. Mr. WANG has now advocated the formation of an advisory group to Government on sports and recreation. I can assure him that his proposal will receive the most careful thought, but its implications for existing interests are far-reaching and he will, I feel sure, appreciate the need to avoid either duplicating the work of, or derogating from the authority of, the Urban Council, the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, and several interested Government departments.
Mrs. Ellen Li will be pleased to learn that it is intended to incorporate Chinese features in the extension to the Tai Po Kau Park, which I hope will be completed next year; and it should prove possible to introduce a Chinese garden into the detailed planning of the area around the Hoi Sham Rocks in To Kwa Wan.
Both Dr. BELL and Mr. MARDEN expressed concern over existing legislation governing the use of petrol engines in small craft, which they felt was preventing large sections of the public from enjoying our less accessible beaches. I take this opportunity of stating the substance of a reply which I have already given them privately.
The Merchant Shipping (Small Craft) Regulations, 1957, which govern the use of petrol-driven craft, were designed principally to prevent the spread of fire amongst commercial craft, which presents a risk most obvious during typhoons, when some 20,000 boats seek shelter in the few available anchorages. A fire spreading from petrol alight on the surface of the water could conceivably engulf every boat at anchor. Of course, some anchorages used by commercial craft are less congested than others, and the risk of serious fire is lower perhaps in the Hebe Haven area than in anchorages in the urban area or in Aberdeen. But it would be impossible to relax the rules to the extent of licensing some commercial craft with petrol engines, because of the problem of containing them within specified areas.
I am afraid that there is little prospect of any relaxation of the law in respect of petrol-driven craft, and I can only hope that the growing public demand for transport to those beaches which are inaccessible by road will encourage boat owners to examine more closely the possibility of introducing diesel engines.
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Mr. BERNACCHI pressed for speedy completion of the new measures for improved control of advertisements: this topic is in the hands of a Sub-Committee under the chairmanship of Mr. CHEUNG Wing-in, and I can assure him that the department will assist his sub-committee in every possible way. A great deal of time has been taken up with the question of occulting signs, and the Council's recent decision to continue the present prohibition on occulting signs is an important step forward in preparing the framework of the new legislation. During 1965, on the recommendations of the Advertisements Sub-Committee, the then Urban Amenities Select Committee decided not to introduce a full licensing system for the control of advertisements. Much of the work that has been done since then on the framework for the new legislation would be wasted if that decision were now reversed, as I gather Mrs. Ellen Li now proposes. The control of advertisements is probably another of those complex cases where an attempt to do too much may lead to more delay, and in the end to nothing being done at all.
Mr. LOBO referred to the Popular Concerts at the City Hall and the growing demand for the use of the Concert Hall and Theatre. He will be glad to learn that a greater number of Popular Concerts at the low admission fee of $1 are planned for next year. His suggestion to increase the depth of the stage in the Concert Hall, and improve the working conditions behind the stage to allow for more effective presentation of ballet, opera and large concerts will require careful consideration by the City Hall Select Committee. Mr. LOBO might also be interested to know that the possibility of installing a closed circuit television system, to facilitate telecasts of cultural and civic functions in the City Hall, has been under active consideration by the department in conjunction with the Director of Information Services and the Director of Broadcasting. It is hoped to submit a progress report to the City Hall Select Committee shortly.
Turning to the question of hawkers, I will now try to reply to the six Members who spoke on this subject. As Members will realise, my remarks must be limited since the Outline Plan is still under discussion. May I say, however, that I am grateful to Mr. BERNACCHI for his declared support for the Plan, and I hope that before it is put into effect all Members of the Council will be able to support it in the same way.
Mr. BERNACCHI said that hawkers existed because there is a real need to purchase what they are selling but whilst I agree with him to a certain extent, I do not think that we can, any more, accept that all those who would like to make a living by hawking on our streets should be permitted to do so. This would not only place an intolerable burden on the Cleansing Division of the Urban Services Department, obstruct the free flow of both pedestrian and motor traffic, and hinder the opera-