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Other factors militating against public provision of these facilities are the small number of persons that can take part and the high costs of participation, which put the sport beyond the reach of most of our people.
I recognize that this sport has a strong following in other countries, but for example in the United States the municipal authorities are not faced with our major problems: the shortage of land for recreation being the main one, as already described.
In short, the only possible response to the question of introducing horse riding as one of the available recreations for the youth of Hong Kong is that public facilities are unlikely to be provided by the Urban Council at the present time.
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI (in English):-I would like to ask as a supplementary. I am aware that a number of bridle paths exist in the hills of Hong Kong Island. Has anyone ever gone into the question of using these bridle paths for the use of horse-riding as a cross-country sport?
CHAIRMAN (in English):-I am not sure whether Mr. BERNACCHI is thinking of trotting or galloping, but I will allow the supplementary question.
MR. KENNETH T. C. Lo (in English):-Mr. Chairman, certainly in the past, there have been these bridle paths, for instance, Lady Clementi's Ride and so on, but I am afraid they really no longer exist. They have been interrupted at various points. In any case, especially on weekends which are so heavily used by hikers, horse-riding there would be highly unsuitable.
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I think we have observed that land for this horse-riding sport would be available only in the New Territories. Now that the Urban Council is a separate entity with its own financial autonomy, can the possibility be studied of leasing or getting a permit for a certain amount of land in the New Territories, and then we can develop the sport for the people in the urban area to enjoy a half-day horse-riding in the rural area, and then we can get to know the rural areas better and the rural area people can get a chance of mixing with the urban people. Perhaps we can study the possibility of getting a permit or a lease for some land for the Urban Council as an entity.
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CHAIRMAN (in English):-That is a most interesting question about the New Territories. I used to ask that kind myself, but now that I am in the chair, I regret I must rule it out of order. (Laughter). Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, please.
MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English):-I believe Mr. Henry Hu raised his hand first.
MR. HENRY H. L. Hu (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I just would like to ask, and probably you would rule my question out of order. (Laughter). Could the relevant Select Committee consider to have a horse-riding place in Lantau Island where, for example, there is plenty of land?
CHAIRMAN (in English):-The Select Committee could consider that, but we might not be able to do so without Mr. BERNACCHI'S permission. (Laughter). So I will move on to Mr. Hilton CHEONG-LEEN.
Mr. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English):-Could that interesting suggestion be passed on to the Jockey Club, since we know that the race course is being planned for Sha Tin and it may be possible that the idea can be further explored by the Jockey Club with or without the active support of this Council?
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, you are skating on thin ice. They are talking about horse-riding as recreation, and you are suggesting that we should encourage horse-riding as a form of gambling. So, I think, enough supplementary questions have been asked on question number one.
MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English):-Mr. Chairman, on a point of order, I was not talking about the Jockey Club's possibility of co-operation in its capacity as a sponsor of horse-racing in Hong Kong, but in the same way in which the Jockey Club is supporting the setting up of an oceanarium they might also be interested in promoting something of the nature which has been raised in this question.
CHAIRMAN (in English):-I support an oceanarium for Kowloon. (Laughter).
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in English):-Mr. Chairman, just on a point of clarification, I am not asking that we should get an answer from the Government that we can do that, I am just asking whether the Committee can study the possibility of getting some land if we pay...
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