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lack the guidance from people who should know better. I am one of the loudest to ask for more power to be given to the Urban Council, especially as it seems now, that since Mr. Anthony ROYLE's visit, no constitutional changes are likely to be made in the near future in the central government. Keep the city clean and tidy. Even our cemeteries are not all as they might be. I have queried before and I do so now why private cemeteries must only be allocated to existing older private cemeteries organizations. There are a lot of genuine people, of all religions, who would like to run private cemeteries. I think each should be considered on its own merits.
Finally, I note with amazement that Aim 23 has stood almost unaltered year after year, the continuing urge for an early decision by government of a future scope and operation of the Urban Council. Why is it being bogged down? Why is it that even approval is not being given for stage I of the Urban Council's report, to go into opera- tion? It is all words, words, words without meaning, without action, without anything. I am thoroughly dissolutioned and disgusted with the antiquated money grabbing Government of Hong Kong today which some people still describe as a democracy! Bureaucracy yes, even semi-police state. To think that students are even meeting difficulties in their entire peaceful campaigns for wider use of the Chinese language because of a mere technicality, that elsewhere in the world would be ignored or steps taken to remedy it in a matter of hours. No, not a democracy. I give this warning to Government that unless you pull your socks up now, the next time when there are disturbances in Hong Kong you will NOT find the citizen behind you as in 1967. Do not please regard Hong Kong as a place to make money and get out, 99% of the people are not rich and have no means of getting out. It is their welfare that you must consider. With these words, Mr. Chairman, I second the motion for adoption of Statement of Aims for 1971. I hope on our part it will really be a year of progress and not a year of stagnation.
MR. R. H. LOBO:---Sir, in rising to give my support to the motion before this Council, I would like to commence by saying that I am pleased with the progress we have achieved in the field of marketing facilities.
Following the long lull in the building programme which was revived only two years ago, we have since then built two new permanent and four temporary markets. By the end of 1971, two more markets will be added to this list, and construction of yet another will have begun. Hopefully, other plans contained in the P.W.D. list of 19 market projects, in their respective categories, would have gained their priority.
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The most significant decision for many years has just been taken when it was decided that four resettlement estates now under construc- tion will be provided with specially designed buildings, known as modular markets. Their undoubted success will, I hope, make them standard fixtures in all our resettlement estates, thus not only providing the residents with better shopping facilities but also enabling us to tackle more effectively the serious problem of illegal hawking which have resulted from the absence of such facilities in existing estates. This Council has to be constantly on the lookout for changes to ensure that the facilities provided keep pace with the trend of changing marketing habits. Only a few years ago, it was rare for housewives to buy anything but fresh meat, poultry and fish. Increasing prosperity has brought a sharp rise in the number of household owning refrigerators and hand in hand with this has come a remarkable increase in the retail sale of frozen meat, poultry and more recently but to a lesser extent, fish. Higher income has also brought many new commodities within the reach of the household and general, shopping facilities are having to adjust to this new and more extensive pattern of con- sumer demand. Another significant change in the shopping habits is that increasingly, the housewife expects to make as many as possible of her purchases in one building or complex. And this brings me to the important question of multi-purpose development.
Since markets should be located where they can most effectively and conveniently meet the needs of the population, they inevitably occupy some of the most valuable land. If full and economic use of this valuable land is to be made, we must expect, in future, to find markets sharing their site with other facilities such as multi-storeyed car parks, shopping complexes, offices, community facilities like libraries, youth centres and playgrounds or gymnasiums, complexes of cooked food stalls, as a means of decongesting our streets of these stalls, and perhaps some low cost accommodation in the urban areas. I repeat, Council and Government must be prepared to accept new ideas and also use their imagination in developing sites along these lines. We must also carry out a comprehensive review of the antiquated rele- vant legislation to ensure that it reflects the changes.
Sir, in my capacity as Chairman of the Hawker Management Select Committee, I find I must say a few words on this subject.
Hawking was in existence here even before Hong Kong became a Crown Colony, and all those who have seen the photographic exhibition at the City Hall "Hong Kong 100 Years Ago" would have noticed the pictures of hawkers and their goods. No doubt they were then few in number and orderly. With the passing of time, they too have enjoyed their population explosion. In the spring of this year, after warnings that the issuance of pedlar licences would stop followed by survey,
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