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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
## ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN:-Ladies and gentlemen, before moving to the Agenda, I would like to congratulate, most warmly, Mr. A de O. SALES on being made a Commander of the Order of Civic Merit by the Spanish Government. A great honour indeed. (Applause). I would also like to congratulate Mr. FORSGATE on his provisional appointment to the Legislative Council. (Applause).
Although I have already welcomed Mr. ROBERTSON and Mr. WALDEN in Standing Committee, I would like to repeat the welcome at this public meeting. Mr. ROBERTSON is acting for Mr. ROBSON and Mr. WALDEN for Mr. LIGHTBODY. (Applause).
## MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting held on 11th July, 1972 were confirmed.
## PAPERS
THE CHAIRMAN laid upon the table the following papers:-
(1) Report on the work of the Urban Council and Urban Services Department for the month of July 1972.
(2) Urban Council and Urban Services Department Statistical Report for the period 1st April, 1972 to 30th June, 1972.
(3) Report by the Commissioner for Resettlement on the progress of clearance and resettlement operations for the period 1st April, 1972 to 30th June, 1972.
MR. A. de O. SALES:-Mr. Chairman, it is as Chairman of the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee that I would like to make the following statement.
Sir, it will not be long before this Council will assume the substantial financial autonomy recommended in the White Paper. It is necessary for the Council to make plans to receive and to discharge the additional responsibilities and consequential authority which it is to be given just as it is for the Government to plan their transfer. We were told at the last Council meeting that the effective date of this handover would be 1st April, 1973; if so, I am growing more and more concerned as time slips away. The impression has been created that the Government is using up all of the available planning time on its own whilst the Council is being kept in the dark as to just what is being planned. I urge, Mr. Chairman, that joint meetings and discussions be organized as quickly as possible. In that way the Council would know at first hand what is being planned and have an opportunity to comment on the preparations.
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My immediate purpose today is to draw particular attention to paragraph 26 of the White Paper. It says that, if the Council so wishes, the Public Works Department will complete at Government expense all items listed in Categories A, D and E.
I find that the Government's declaration of policy is far from reassuring and needs to be defined in actual firm commitment to the public on specific programmes.
Let us now examine the position as it stands today. First, there are the swimming pools. I mention this separately because the financing arrangement for their construction is different to other items in the Public Works Programme. That we have a number of swimming pool complexes in the Colony is due entirely to the generosity of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club while I believe the Government has not paid a cent towards the cost of these now vital and extremely popular recreation facilities except to allocate the land which is in any case the patrimony of the people. The question we must have answered, and quickly, is: who is going to pay for the projects still in the Programme. To date the Jockey Club has completed five swimming pool complexes and two are under construction: at Morrison Hill and Kennedy Town. Morrison Hill is all but complete and Kennedy Town is already in Category A of the Programme so the Council is assuming that these projects will be completed at no expense to us.
But what of the other projects still in the Programme? There are two new major projects in Category B-(Hung Hom and Hammer Hill) and a further two in Category C (Chai Wan and Kowloon Park) of the Public Works Programme. There is also an item for improvements to Victoria Park Pool in Category B. Then there is an additional list of 4 such projects at Kowloon Bay, Aberdeen, Lei Yue Mun and Lai Chi Kok awaiting Government approval. Thus, 9 swimming pool projects in the urban areas are in question, if not actually in jeopardy.
Paragraph 24 of the White Paper states that we may get a once-for-all grant to spend as we deem fit on capital or recurrent items. If the Government is hoping to buy off its commitment on outstanding swimming pools and the other many projects by means of this initial grant, I would insist that it be based on tomorrow's estimated prices and not today's.
It is not the Council's fault that the Government has dragged its feet in tackling this important programme and such other worthwhile projects as the multi-purpose district games halls,
We will not be able
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