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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
On the question of public showers, there are already public showers at Deep Water Bay (4), St. Stephen's (3), Stanley Main (3), Turtle Cove (3), Shek O (3) and Big Wave Bay (3), while the beach building at Chung Hom Kok, now nearing completion, will have three showers. There are items in the Public Works Programme for beach buildings at Middle Bay and South Bay, each of which will include 12 showers; and there is an investigation item in the Public Works Programme for the improvement of the existing latrine at Deep Water Bay, which, if it is approved, will include the provision of 12 more showers, making a total of 16 there.
Members of the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee will recall that new changing rooms and additional showers were also proposed for Shek O and Big Wave Bay, among the items recommended for inclusion in next year's Public Works Programme estimates (a paper on which was discussed at the August meeting). At Repulse Bay, the Lido and Seaview between them provide a very considerable number of showers, although I understand a charge is made for their use; another item submitted for next year's Public Works Programme estimates is for the construction of Urban Council changing rooms and showers at this beach.
The only beaches where there are no existing showers, or proposals for them, are at Hair Pin and Rocky Bay. These beaches are relatively little used, and I suggest that improvements here should await progress on the other beaches. I am obliged to Dr. HUANG for giving me the opportunity to state the present position and also our plans for the provision of more public showers at our gazetted beaches.
DR. HUANG:- Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Mr. SALES, Chairman of the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee, for his detailed report. One thing, I really admire Mr. SALES for his broadmindedness because, although he lives in Kowloon, as I live, all the beaches are in Hong Kong. I would like to know what happened to the gazetted beaches in the New Territories? Can he do anything about those?
CHAIRMAN:- No, he can't, except in an advisory capacity.
MR. SALES: Sir, I must protest about the fact that the Urban Council has no jurisdiction over the beaches in the New Territories, (Laughter) and I am obliged to Dr. HUANG for giving me the opportunity to register a very strong protest, and I would like you to ask the Government to hand over all those beaches to the Urban Council as soon as possible.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(7) DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG asked the following question:-
Can the Chairman inquire from the Colonial Secretary what is the present position with regard to the future scope of this Council? Has the Council's recommendation been put to the Executive Council as yet and, if so, when can a decision on this matter be expected?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:
This question concerns the present position with regard to the future scope of this Council.
Following a similar question asked by Mr. Hilton CHEONG-LEEN at the March meeting of this Council, I am on record as saying that an important subject such as this would have to be referred to the Executive Council and that I expected it to be so referred with Secretariat's recommendations within a matter of weeks. As far as I was concerned, this was the position at the time. However, there have been delays as pointed out by His Excellency the Governor, at the opening session of the Legislative Council on 1st October, when he said that "consideration of improvements to the Council's financial arrangements has had to be very much more detailed and complex than had been hoped.”
I am assured that very active consideration has been and is still being given to this matter, and I would hope that it will be presented to the Executive Council soon.
DR. HUANG:---- Mr. Chairman, I certainly agree that the scope of the Urban Council is an important subject, but on the other hand this Council presented recommendations as early as 1966, and then our second report was submitted in March last year. Well, we used to have a Government - I mean have a very high efficiency in running Government matters - I wonder if you can, Mr. Chairman, remind Government of the importance to preserve such a good reputation, I mean to have better efficiency to recognize it. It's 18 months now since we submitted our second recommendation.
CHAIRMAN: - You can rest assured, Dr. HUANG, that I have pressed the Government regularly for an early answer to this over the past months.
MR. SALES: Sir, is it possible that you should now use a battering ram? It is probably what the Government needs - a good battering ram from the Director of Urban Services.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, in the second paragraph of your reply, reference is made only to financial arrangements. What
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