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Members' minds. Such phenomenon, in my view, is only natural because there are nearly one-third of Hong Kong's population who are now living in resettlement housing including cottage areas. I have said, Mr. Chairman, many times before that I am in favour of immediate direct resettlement instead of placing people in the licensed area which, I say, should be abolished. I also advocate, Mr. Chairman, that boat people should be resettled as people in the land where their land needs to be redeveloped. Again, having read the White Paper of 1964, little was said about resettlement management. I hope that the question of management should be more fully explored if there is any appointment of Working Party to look into the White Paper of 1964. Mr. Chairman, with this short remark, I support the Motion.
CHAIRMAN: ---No one else wishes to speak?
MR. SALES---I am waiting for the Commissioner for Resettlement to speak.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:---Sir, I rise to speak on the motion before this Council. In so doing, may I remind Members that the motion implies that the Working Party, if appointed, should not only review the policies laid down in the 1964 White Paper, but should also examine the management of resettlement estates. I am going to speak mainly on the second part of the motion.
The management of resettlement estates in the urban area, which accounts for 19 out of 23 estates housing nearly a quarter of our total population, has always been entrusted to this Council. Ever since the first resettlement estate was occupied, the management policies and practices have constantly been under close scrutiny by this Council through the following methods:
(a) by questions and answers across this table, and by supplementary questions and answers;
(b) by reams and reams of committee papers presented to the Committees of this Council;
(c) by spending countless hours of Members' time in deliberating over them; and
(d) by the voluminous correspondence originating from Members' ward offices which has, in turn, attracted a greater number of letters in response.
Sir, if all this does not amount to something which I might humbly describe as "microscopic examination", then I would be at a loss to interpret it in any other way.
By Gazette Notification No. 1032 of 1st August 1958, the Governor appointed this Council to be the sole competent authority, not only for the management of all resettlement estates in the urban area, but also for the cottage areas. If, by accepting the motion as it stands, we signify that further examination of the management of resettlement estates is called for, are we not in effect saying that we have lost confidence in ourselves? Or are we not saying, in another way, that we have failed in a task which has been entrusted to us as a body?
Sir, with these remarks, I am to say that I shall abstain from voting.
MR. A. de O. SALES: ---Mr. Chairman, the text of the motion is clear. So, in my opening remarks, in reply to Mr. Paul Tsui who has spoken in a way I did not expect, I would like to draw his attention in fact to the text of the Motion. It does not commit this Council to any specific recommendation to the Government beyond that the Council should consider it in detail, presumably in Standing Committee of the Whole Council. That is the intention. In that Standing Committee, then, Council as a whole could set out the terms of reference the Council might wish to suggest to the Government in order to implement the Motion that has been moved by Mrs. ELLIOTT, seconded by Mr. BERNACCHI.
Sir, whether in this Council or in the Hong Kong Housing Authority, we have all expressed our thoughts on the need for an acceleration of the public housing programme in order to cope with the circumstances as we find them at the present time. There can be no hiding the fact that the conditions as they are today are vastly different from what the position was in 1963 and previously in 1952 before action was taken respectively in 1964 to set up the Working Party and in the early 1950's to set up the Resettlement Department. Therefore, the conditions being now different, evidently Government should take upon itself the responsibility to review the whole range of our housing policy and programme to see whether, in point of fact, we are effectively meeting the challenge of the day---in short, whether our housing policy is adequate for the needs of the people. No other body in Hong Kong has accumulated as much experience as the Urban Council has in public housing; so, if the Urban Council has, in Select Committees and in this public meeting, voiced our serious concern about the present situation, then, it seems to me that it would only be wise for the Government to take heed and proceed accordingly. The Urban Council is the pace-maker. Therefore, the great number of questions that have been put today and in recent meetings on the subject of resettlement and housing generally should be proof enough that this Council is very seriously disturbed about the present situation.
Mr. Chairman, there can be no easing up of the Government housing programme, much less can there be any forecasting at this time as I have seen it done, that there will be an end to such activity
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