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of fireworks and have reached an informal agreement that these types should not be imported. It remains to be seen how effective these arrangements will be, but the importers gave every indication of being willing to help in this way.
In answer to the second part of the question, the Urban Services Department and the Resettlement Department have made the following contributions towards the campaign:
The Urban Services Department has arranged for a health education van to broadcast tape-recorded messages on the prevention of fire risk and of personal injuries. These broadcast warnings will continue until 8th February, 1967.
The Resettlement Department, besides displaying posters and distributing leaflets to residents in Resettlement Estates, and Cottage and Resite Areas, has arranged for the showing of a film by an Information Services Department van from 23rd to 30th January, 1967. All officers of the Resettlement Department have been instructed to take every opportunity of drawing the attention of the residents to the need to use care and commonsense in the discharge of fireworks.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Mr. Chairman, will Mr. HOLMES be getting full co-operation from the Police Department, especially during the Chinese New Year holidays?
SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS: Yes, Sir, I expect to receive full co-operation.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: In view of all this tremendous effort in the organization of this campaign this year, does Mr. HOLMES anticipate that the results this year will be better than last year?
SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS: Well, Sir, I can only say that we have at least made preparations to assess the results, so that if the results are better we shall at least know the fact. I would not like to predict what the outcome will be, but there has been one development already which is new. Last week quite a considerable quantity of fireworks unlawfully stored was discovered, and has been impounded and is now in Government storage pending the owners making arrangements to put it into lawful storage. The amount was almost ten tons. Now this is new and the information leading to the seizure came from the public. So I would say that if one has to try to assess beforehand, although I would much rather wait until after the campaign,
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this is one new factor which I think is perhaps attributable to the larger scale upon which this publicity campaign has been mounted this year.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: The ten tons are dangerous fireworks, are they?
SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS: No, Sir, my information is that they are not unlawful fireworks, they are lawful fireworks unlawfully stored.
MRS. ELLIOTT: Mr. Chairman, may I ask Mr. HOLMES, through you, if any effort was made to educate the children through the schools, and did the Education Department do anything?
SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS: Yes, Sir, the Education Department has always played a very large part in these matters. I did in fact refer to the schools. Perhaps I read out my answer rather rapidly, but the schools were one of the sections to which I did pay a tribute. They have indeed, not only Government schools but private schools as well, always played a large part, because it is children who are most vulnerable, I think, to the danger of accidents. I am glad to repeat that we have had the fullest co-operation from the schools in the Colony.
MRS. ELLIOTT: Mr. Chairman, I asked the question because I cannot remember getting any notice in our school, although we did educate our children on the matter.
SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS: I cannot speak on that, Sir, as the work is done through the Education Department. I imagine that schools which would probably in any case adopt a responsible attitude towards these problems might be given less attention by the Education Department than others who are, perhaps, more in need of guidance; but I am afraid I cannot speak with authority on that.
MR. WILSON WANG: Mr. Chairman, I think that to be fair to the Education Department, I did receive a notice. (Laughter).
MRS. ELLIOTT: Mr. Chairman, I did not say I had not received one, I said I couldn't remember receiving one.
MR. BERNACCHI: Mr. Chairman, has the Society for the Blind been consulted? I have reason to believe that the blind are greatly affected by the discharging of fireworks because they have to use their ears rather than their sight, and fireworks disrupt their ears for quite some considerable time afterwards.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, the Hong Kong Society for the Blind has, over the years, and in particular this year, made strong representations on this subject, and we have suggested that Government should even take another step forward in the matter of control of the letting
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