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comply with Fire Services requirements for licensing, while the Government Building Surveyor has provided a list of his officers to whom applicants for food business licences can refer directly if they have any problems concerning structural alterations to their premises.
Mr. Lo also proposed the statutory imposition of minimum fines for the operation of unlicensed food businesses, and experiences have shown that where the sum total of fines imposed for successful prosecutions is in the region of $1,000 a year, i.e. about 10 times the annual licence fee, there is a definite deterrent effect to the extent that business usually stops. While I agree that the suggestion has a certain attraction for the individual public officer enforcing health legislation, such an innovation would not be truly compatible with the principles of British justice and I am informed that the Judiciary and the staff of the Attorney-General have voiced their strong opposition.
The energetic Chairman of the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee expressed her dissatisfaction over the extension of the programme for renovation of public latrines to a period of five years from the three years proposed by her committee. As a member of this Committee I share her concern but I gather, Mr. Chairman, that, after further consideration, the original 3-year programme has now been approved. While on this subject, I must refer to Mr. Lobo's remarks about the temporary structures on the Central Reclamation. The latrine is due for routine renovation by the Architectural Office and work should start very shortly; at the same time the surface drainage arrangements are going to be improved and the dripping air conditioner dealt with. I hope that these measures will help to produce an improvement in the appearance of this area, but more lasting measures must await the permanent development of the Reclamation.
Dr. Bell also commented unfavourably on the general cleanliness of toilets in places licensed by this Council; such places are checked regularly either by day or by night by staff of the Hygiene Division, and appropriate action is taken against the licensee if the toilets are found in an unsatisfactory condition. But even the most modern and hygienic facilities can be rendered filthy by inconsiderate and selfish users. Like so many aspects of hygiene in Hong Kong, it is a matter of continued public education, for many of the smaller establishments cannot afford to provide latrine attendants. Until the public as a whole has been awakened to the individual's responsibility in raising hygienic standards, I would welcome the assistance of public-spirited persons like Dr. Bell in reporting any place where standards appear poor so that repeated checking can be made.
On the question of shades over back yards, I again find myself in agreement with her for they are both nuisance-producing and undesirable. However, they have always been a complex and controversial issue, and Council's policy was changed three times between 1961 and 1964 in an endeavour to arrive at a compromise which would be acceptable to all concerned. Here again we encounter the individual's lack of a sense of responsibility, for the nuisances arise partly from persons in upper stories throwing refuse out of the window and partly from the neglect of those who put up the shades to ensure that they are kept in a clean condition. But at the moment I agree something more positive must be done; only a week ago the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee considered the subject again and will be recommending appropriate amendments to the legislation.
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In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I would like to say a few words on the Public Service. Throughout the year, as well as in the present debate, we have heard and read a great deal about the misdeeds and errors of individual public servants who represent a very, very small minority. Little, if anything, is said about the great majority who carry out their various duties quietly and efficiently in spite of many difficulties and pressures. It behoves all Members of this Council—elected and nominated as well as the official ones—to remember that the viability and progress of Government in Hong Kong depends, in the ultimate resort, on the continuing loyalty and efficiency of this large and unsung body of people of many races.
Mr. Chairman, with these remarks I support the Motion before Council. (Applause).
THE SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS: - Mr. Chairman, both Dr. Bell and Mr. Kenneth Lo referred to the problems involved in the management of multi-storey buildings. The idea that some element of compulsion should be included in any scheme for this purpose is not new, and proposals involving this concept were put forward by a Working Party some years ago. They were not proceeded with for several reasons. First, public reaction indicated that the owners of property in sub-divided buildings would not welcome the compulsory imposition of statutory management at the expense of the owners; second, it became clear that it would be difficult to find the statutory factors involved in this approach because commercial concerns having the expertise necessary for the management of property of this kind were not, it seemed, interested in undertaking the work, and still less, of course, would it have been possible for the Government to find the trained staff needed to manage such buildings. At the same time, the development of a large number of voluntary associations of landlords and tenants of multi-storey buildings, a process with which my department has been associated from the start, made it appear that many of the occupants of these buildings were prepared to undertake the responsibilities of management on a voluntary basis.
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