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coming financial year to enable the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department to cope with necessary Chinese correspondence and interpretation work?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:
This question concerns the Translation and Interpretation Section of the Urban Council and Urban Services Department.
This Section (in the Headquarters of the Department) at present consists of 1 Interpreter/Translator Class I, 2 Interpreter/Translators Class II and 2 Calligraphist Assistants. One Interpreter/Translator Class II and the two Calligraphist Assistants were added to the Section last year, and I am now satisfied that the Section is adequately staffed to carry out all present commitments.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, is the practice still being continued whereby all letters which are received by the Urban Services Department in Chinese are also replied to in English with a Chinese translation?
CHAIRMAN:-Certainly.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Thank you.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Mr. Chairman, how many documents are received daily in the Chinese language?
CHAIRMAN:-I need notice of that question, Mr. BERNACCHI.
MR. BERNACCHI:-In other words, Mr. Chairman, presumably the Interpreter Class I is really in charge of the Interpretation Division, if I may call it that. The main work is carried out by the two other Interpreters. Two Interpreters presumably cannot interpret many letters each day?
CHAIRMAN:-As I said, ladies and gentlemen, the staff we have are adequate to cover our present commitments, and I am not so sure that it is the other two Interpreters who do the body of the work. I think the main Interpreter certainly has a lot of checking to do himself.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Yes, checking, I mean.
(3) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:—
Can the Chairman advise whether any information has been received as to Government's views on the Urban Council's revised report on the future scope and expansion of local government?
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THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:
This question concerns the Urban Council's Report on the Reform of Local Government, dated March 1969.
The position is that I have had discussions with Secretariat Officers (including the Colonial Secretary) and His Excellency the Governor about this matter. An important subject like this will, however, have to be referred to the Executive Council and this has not so far been done. But I expect it to be referred soon.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-I am sorry that this answer is most unsatisfactory. After consultation with the Reform Club Elected Members, the Independents and the other Civic Association Elected Members, we have unanimously decided to register our deep concern at the dilatoriness and delay by Government in the implementation of any steps towards local government reforms. We do so by walking out of today's meeting. May I say this action, Mr. Chairman, is in no way a reflection on you as Urban Council Chairman.
(Messrs. BERNACCHI, CHEONG-LEEN, Solomon RAFEEK, Henry HU, Dr. HUANG, Raymond KAN, C. K. CHAN, Henry WONG and Mrs. ELLIOTT left the meeting at this point).
CHAIRMAN:-In the absence of Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, would anyone like to ask his next question? If not, I shall call upon the Commissioner for Resettlement to reply.
MR. SALES:-I would like to ask a supplementary, Mr. Chairman. Sir, as Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee and also of the present Local Administration Select Committee, may I know whether, in point of fact, both reports have been circulated direct to the Members of the Executive Council?
CHAIRMAN:-It depends what you mean by "direct", Mr. SALES. Copies were forwarded to the Secretariat, and as far as I know they were issued to Members of both the Executive Council and the Legislative Council.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, has any initiative been taken by you, as a Member of Legislative Council, to raise this issue in their public debate?
CHAIRMAN:-I must rule the question out of order, Mr. SALES.
MR. SALES:-Would you not require notice of that question, rather than rule it out of order? Would it not be more correct to require
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