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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Before all the goodwill engendered by the valiant efforts of our Official Colleagues during these past difficult months, is obscured by the dust of dissension over the gyrations of the dollar, allow me, Mr. Chairman, to pay my public and well-deserved tribute to both you and your colleagues in all ranks of the Civil Service. Right down to our gallant street-sweeping gangs, you all kept your nerve under very trying circumstances, and carried out your duties in a remarkably level-headed manner that became an example for those of us who perform in Commerce and Industry, to follow. I don't think it is fully appreciated how many long hours of "Scotch" overtime were worked by our Civil Servants to maintain and restore essential services.
Industrial Relations
A lot of hot air on the subject of labour relations has been emitted by visiting firemen. The flocks of peregrinating M.P.s and noble Lords, who have descended on Hong Kong in recent months like batches of homing pigeons. Of course, they have the answer, and have freely dispersed their pearls of wisdom, of the homespun and London School of Economics variety to us here. They claim lack of communications between Management and Labour is Hong Kong's problem, and so on, as they trot out the classic solutions. But they miss the fundamental point of difference between here and the United Kingdom in the attitude of Management and Labour. In Hong Kong, both work hard and long hours, and as a team. How else could we have achieved our remarkable industrial progress to quite sophisticated products over the past decade? Not by the picture of docile sweated labour. This image our critics conjure up, does a great injustice to the average worker in our industry, who is intelligent, industrious, eager to learn new techniques, and retains a sense of humour and proportion. Hong Kong employers are remarkably fortunate in the positive attitude of their workers, and they do appreciate it. But I agree some of them ought to show their appreciation in a more positive manner than they do. It is also a fact that some employers do attempt to exploit their labour, and it is in this direction I commend the efforts of our much-maligned Labour Department.
Some of us tend to lose our sense of proportion. Maybe it's because we all live so close, almost in each other's pockets. But the amount of uninformed criticism levelled at the Commissioner of Labour and his staff has been overdone. Maybe some of us have been looking for a scapegoat to cover our own shortcomings. At any rate, I can reveal the events of the past few months have increased the average employer's awareness of this Department's capacity to assist with advice on labour problems, and a great deal of cross-fertilization of ideas on labour reforms is going on, as employers seek ways of improving two-way lines of communication with their employees. In this context, I ask that Government encourage and foster these activities on the part of its Labour Department.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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Hong Kong Week underlines need for Indoor Stadium Complex
Some aspects of this remarkable display of Hong Kong's fashions to the world recently, emphasize the appetite of our people for a show. Free or otherwise. They swarmed in their thousands. At my own Company's Ocean Terminal, we gave the Passenger Concourse over to the Exhibition of Hong Kong Crafts. The result, over one hundred and thirty thousand in one day alone, and we were hard put to control the crowds each day the exhibition was on. Likewise, exhibitions in the City Hall and elsewhere were equally popular, and demonstrate the necessity for a permanent large exhibition hall or stadium, which could well achieve the commercial viability to justify the expenditure envisaged by my colleague Wilson Wang's Indoor Stadium Sub-Committee Report.
Bars in Tsim Sha Tsui
From here, I now pass over on the Ferry, travelling 1st Class, of course, to Tsim Sha Tsui, and the problems our benevolent Licensing Authorities have created there. According to statistics given me, there are now over two hundred licensed premises, bars, and restaurants, south of Austin Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. An increase of some forty-one since I raised the subject last year, and was informed by the then Secretary for Chinese Affairs, in his reply, that quote "The Licensing Justices have a good deal of sympathy with the views expressed by Mr. Forsgate, and I know they will bear them fully in mind in dealing with future applications of this kind" end quote. All I can say is, "some sympathy". It should not be necessary to again raise the moral influences involved. These have been fully covered previously. But I do request the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, who is also Chairman of the Board of Licensing Justices, to give more positive consideration to this matter, and weigh up all the points in favour of a change in present licensing policy procedure.
The ready availability of a great variety of pornographic literature in street and hole-in-the-wall bookstalls in Tsim Sha Tsui, is a disgrace, and should not be tolerated any longer. Although I must admit to being a bit old-fashioned in this respect, as much of what passed for pornography in my day, has become respectable reading today. I recognize the Authorities have a problem, but I would be interested to learn their proposals for a solution. Sex education, suggested by Dr. P. F. Woo last year, should be handled with more taste and discretion, and not be left to the youthful enquiring mind to find out for himself from the literature so easily obtained.
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