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CHAIRMAN: --Not strictly speaking. You have your powers laid down to you by law. I have in the past said I would help to get information for you on matters that were not your concern. I am still prepared to do so.
MR. HU: Because I understand, Mr. Chairman, the position is that in open meeting sometimes the questions were refused because of outside jurisdiction of Urban Council. The reason is that the Body who could look into this affair but about the Select Committee meetings I think there will be no limitations that people will discuss because it more-or-less affected the welfare of the public.
CHAIRMAN: Surely, this would be informal discussion only and I really must ask that we move to the next question. I will not let this become a matter of debate in this Council. It is "Question" and "Answer".
MRS. ELLIOTT: Mr. Chairman, may I ask another question. You have just used the expression that "matters are not your concern". Would you please say publicly that housing is not our concern.
CHAIRMAN: Housing is not the concern of this Council. They deal with the management of Resettlement Estates only.
MR. LO TAK-SHING: Why was this question answered?
CHAIRMAN: Because there was a connection. We had advised on the question of the Chong Hing Building, and for that reason we thought it advisable to let you know what the position was. That was the sole reason.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, may I rise on a point of clarification. First, Select Committees can deal with any matter within the terms of reference of the particular Select Committee, so if any subject is pertaining to the terms of reference of a particular Select Committee, that Select Committee can take up that matter without fear or favour. Secondly, Mr. Chairman, you have been most indulgent in stretching terms of reference, particularly when points are brought up by my Elected Friends, but not when Appointed Members raise these issues. You have clamped down on us so if there is any cause for grievance calling for redress it is on our part. Thirdly, Mr. Chairman, as a member of that Committee mentioned by Mrs. ELLIOTT which sat on the Working Party on Low-Cost Housing and Resettlement, I would like to mention once again that the Working Party recommended to Government certain measures and the Government issued a White Paper setting out in turn what the Government's position was and, within that framework, I should imagine that the Urban Council, through its Resettlement Select Committees, could certainly expect that Government action would follow. Now, as regards the Housing Board:
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that Board can be said to be a creature of the Council's—which the Council created. And, the Council has the same experience as Frankenstein who created a monster. In fact, I think the Council should ask for the abolition of the Housing Board because the Housing Board has lagged considerably behind the Council in serving the public's needs in public housing and the Board has been, at times, acting contrary to what the Council would like to do within the framework of the Council's jurisdiction.
(6) MR. RAYMOND Y. K. KAN asked the following question:
(a) Can the Chairman inform this Council of the number and the types of public libraries under its management in Hong Kong? What is the total number of volumes of books in each of these libraries, and the percentage of Chinese and English books and those of other languages?
(b) What is the proportion of technical books in relation to books of general interest? What is the policy with regard to the acquisition of technical and other reference books? What is the estimated number of students and adults who frequented the libraries and study rooms last year? What are the figures for the last five years?
(c)
(d) Is there any long-term plan for the opening of public libraries and reading rooms in districts with a substantial population, such as Wan Chai, Shau Kei Wan, Hung Hom, Sham Shui Po, etc.?
(e) Has any feasibility study been initiated or carried out on the establishment of a central public library with its own building as in all major cities in the world to serve the growing needs of the community?
MRS. C. J. SYMONS, CHAIRMAN OF THE LIBRARY SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
This question, concerning Public Libraries, is in five parts and each part consists of several questions requiring factual answers. As I am, in effect, giving replies to about ten different questions contained within this item I am afraid my answer cannot be brief.
Part (a) deals with the number and types of public libraries under the management of the Urban Council, and their book collection.
There are at present three public libraries under the management of the Urban Council. They are the City Hall
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