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Although we are deprived of our freedom to speak subjects, I still insist on saying that our work could be better done by our staff and much discontent and lowering of morale could be avoided, if the unwarranted anomalies in salaries were dealt with reasonably. These anomalies exist in many areas, such as clerical grades, foremen grades, library clerks, and of course, outside our scope, the age-old problem of teachers' pay.

I should like to end by referring to the current Clean Hong Kong Campaign. The man-in-the-street is asking why we concentrate on rubbish and neglect to clean up crime and corruption. That is a good question. The population of our estates and other areas is being terrorised by armed thugs who rob and kill at will. They are afraid to go out at night, and afraid to report to the police; when they do report, no action is taken. In spite of police denials, I put it to this Council that crime on estates is at a critical state, and if reports are few it is because the people fear to make reports.

I support the Clean Hong Kong Campaign and I hope it succeeds; but why do we paint bad social habits in more lurid colours than social crimes? Dirt makes me squirm, but corruption and crime make me angry. The Hong Kong people want to know what is being done to keep our streets safe as well as clean; they want to know what is being done to punish crime as well as spitting; they want to see deterrent sentences for robbers and murderers as well as litter-bugs; they want to see police parading the streets looking for criminals not for cigarette butts and match-sticks; they want to know what is being done to root out oppression, injustice and corruption, as well as garbage heaps.

My own impression is that little or nothing is being done about social crimes, and I wonder if the Government is aware of the terror that walks by night in our estates?

When this Clean Hong Kong has succeeded, and even before that, I trust that my colleagues will begin to agitate for a Clean Out Crime and Corruption Campaign.

Mr. Chairman, with the reservations I have stated, I support the Motion. (Applause).

MR. KENNETH T. C. Lo (In English):-Mr. Chairman, in rising to support the motion before the Council, I would like to start by saying something about housing. In this field of course, the most significant recent development is the plan as announced in the speech of His Excellency the Governor in the Legislative Council, which has as its objective to build on such a scale that with the contribution of the private sector, there will be sufficient permanent self-contained accommodation in a reasonable environment for every inhabitant of

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Hong Kong. This is an ambitious project, and I am sure everyone would give it support. It is to be noted that the people to be rehoused are not only those in squatter huts or temporary housing of which there are stated to be about 300,000 but also a further 310,000 who are in shared accommodation.

This declared objective is in strong contrast to the old policy of only clearing those squatter areas which are required for re-development and leaving the squatters in those areas not so required to stay there indefinitely.

With this change of policy in housing, it seems appropriate to examine the quality of housing which Government will provide. We have come a long way from the old days of resettlement when a bare concrete block was about all that was provided. Nevertheless, even now, the quality of the fittings in new resettlement still leaves a good deal to be desired. The doors and windows provided are sub-standard and are usually taken down and removed and then replaced with new fittings by the incoming tenant as a matter of course. I have mentioned this point before, but I believe it to be worth emphasizing, if we are to have any hope of success in raising Government estates to acceptable standards.

Another point is that our units are designed for housing families of not less than three or four. Complications arise when single individuals have to be rehoused. One practice in the past has been to house two or three such individuals who might not even know each other in one small room sometimes with and sometimes without a partition between them. This has been the source of much quarrelling and friction and it is generally agreed to be bad policy. Nevertheless, what are we to do with such individuals?

I would suggest that hostels be opened in the estates for single people and also for elderly people, who are not living with younger relatives. A number of units could be turned into one hostel for this purpose. It is surely far better to house elderly people like this than to put them into separate institutions somewhere in the rural areas. Such hostels could be run by voluntary agencies who are prepared to undertake this task. Alternatively, they could be operated by the Social Welfare Department. In fact, they should require very little supervision. I envisage that the people accommodated in these hostels should be capable of looking after themselves as regards cooking, cleaning and other domestic activities. One such hostel has been operating for some time in the Wah Fu Housing Authority Estate, and so far as I am aware, there have been no problems. Similarly, youth hostels should be set up particularly for young factory workers. These would provide accommodation for young people who find work far from where their families live.

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