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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The present Curator is an experienced artist and an experienced Curator on the Art Gallery side. I think I am right in saying that he has no qualifications as a Museum Curator, and surely the time is present for a Curator to the Museum, because he has to assemble the exhibits that will be provided in the new Museum, whether it be the Rodney Block or a completely new Museum. Therefore, can consideration be given by the Select Committee, I believe it has not been referred to the Select Committee, to have a separate Museum Curator at this stage to consider and assemble the exhibits?
MR. WANG: Certainly the Committee welcomes a discussion of this kind, but in fairness to our present Curator, it must be recalled that he went to England for one year to study before he took up his post, and has since served very effectively in the building up of the Museum, without having encountered any difficulty.
MR. BERNACCHI: Please do not get me wrong. I am not suggesting that Mr. Warner is not an excellent Curator, but nevertheless his qualifications do lie in the Art Gallery side, and I think that the Museum side is a completely different department in effect, especially as we are now going to have a completely separate Museum. That is why I say please refer it to the Select Committee saying, I think I am right in saying, that the Select Committee decides that a separate Curator for the Museum should be engaged during the coming year, a supplementary request could be made to Government for a supplementary grant.
MR. WANG: Mr. BERNACCHI's point will certainly be given serious consideration, but I for one remember that when we started the museum, we advertised the post of Curator for two years, and when we failed to find a successful applicant Mr. WARNER very gallantly consented to take it up.
(13) MR. B. A. BERNACCHI asked the following question:
Who is responsible for the removal of litter, including that of hawkers, in Chun Yeung Street, North Point?
DR. A. M. S. BELL, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
It is the responsibility of the staff of the Cleansing Division to remove litter in this street, including that caused by hawkers.
Chun Yeung Street, as you are aware, is occupied on both sides by hawkers and the normal sweeping service, which is provided both day and night, can only be carried out when business is slack.
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This service is supplemented by the operations of a Special Night Cleansing Squad dealing particularly with hawker areas. This squad visits the area once a week and in addition a Special Cleansing Squad visits the area approximately once a month. In addition, Chun Yeung Street is washed three times a week. There is a refuse collection point at Tong Shui Road near its junction with Chun Yeung Street and it is visited by the departmental refuse collection vehicles seven times a day. A junk collection depot has also been established in the immediate vicinity and the hawkers there are regularly reminded of its existence. The collection depot is cleared three times a day.
I must thank Mr. BERNACCHI for drawing attention to the problem of cleaning areas which are heavily frequented by hawkers. As a result, I would like to suggest that the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee and perhaps the Hawker Select Committee re-examines a previous suggestion made by me that each hawker be provided with a rubbish bin of some sort alongside his fixed pitch or, in the case of a pedlar hawker, a plastic bag which can be attached to his pole or basket.
MR. SALES: Before Mr. BERNACCHI asks the next question, can he, as Chairman of the Hawker Select Committee, tell this Council whether in point of fact his Select Committee has considered the suggestion made by Dr. BELL as chairman of the Environmental and Hygiene Select Committee?
MR. BERNACCHI: The answer is no, not at present, but whether my Hawker Policy Select Committee or Mr. BLAKER's Management Select Committee is the appropriate Select Committee, I am rather doubtful, because it is really not so much a question of policy as a question of management, but certainly I will take steps to have this suggestion considered by the appropriate Select Committee.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, Dr. BELL has told the Council that the suggestion was made a long time ago. The Council is not interested in whether it is the Management or the Policy Select Committee. What the Council wants is action. Why has this suggestion not been considered before?
CHAIRMAN: I would like to rule that one out of order, Mr. SALES. In fact, hawkers did have litter bins many years ago.
DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, perhaps I could answer it in spite of your ruling it out of order. It is just like many suggestions that I have made over the years which have been ignored. (Laughter).
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