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beyond the reach of many people. But, even working at high pressure, our existing cremation services cannot cope with the growing demand. Waiting periods for cremation are unduly long, at times even beyond a week. The failure of the Government to take measures in good time in response to the many and repeated urgings of the Council to modernize cremation facilities in Kowloon and to increase the capacity of existing services on the Island cannot be explained as the only alternative would be to reserve scarce land for use as cemeteries. In any case, the resulting long delay between death and cremation causes much distress to many bereaved families in Hong Kong. Presumably, the powers that be in the Government do not accept the urgency of the situation. Then, it would be wrong.
Hawkers
Only recently this Council debated at length the hawker situation in Hong Kong. In the last few years I have also stated what I believe to be our common position in the matter. While Members may differ in approach, it is nevertheless the wish of the Council to regulate the conditions in the streets. Otherwise, it would be akin to a state of anarchy.
Let it be said again: with few exceptions, hawkers are tradesmen, and not welfare cases. As such, while trading in the streets, they too have to abide by the law, respect the interest of residents and businesses in the areas where they operate, and also accept that it is their duty as citizens to make a reasonable contribution towards the cost of services directly related to and caused by their business. Indeed, it should be treated as part of their overheads. More people are wondering why there is the very heavy hidden subvention by the rate-payer to enable street-traders to conduct their profitable businesses without payment of rates or taxes. More curious still is the long-held implication that the community at large has an obligation to pay for private business overheads, which is precisely what the present attitude amounts to, in essence. While the Council has every sympathy with genuine hawkers, and will continue to do its best for them, on their part they must be fair to their fellow citizens by helping to pay their own way.
There are social problems related to hawking which cause grave concern much more than the serious effect widespread resort to hawking on the streets has on labour lost to our industry. I have raised these issues in private. They can only be ignored at the community's peril. It seems to me wrong for young people to be exposed to the tough life which hawking is in reality. They are without the protection of an orderly environment; they are not working regular hours under responsible supervision; they are competing fiercely for business under tough conditions; they are allegedly victims of the underworld, which they may well join to survive. Altogether, such a rough-and-tumble existence is likely to be harmful for the development of the young; it does not help them to realize their full potential and will probably warp their thinking and embitter their outlook. Those exercising power here must surely be aware that an explosive situation is being created. It is storing trouble for the future, and it demonstrates the effect of long neglect of the basic social requirements for the development of a well-ordered community with equal opportunity for all. There is nothing at present to prevent the young and the impressionable from going into this social and economic jungle.
Hawker problems are not new. Hong Kong has always had them although the scale and extent may have changed over the years. Measures taken by the authorities in a difficult situation were designed to contain the problems resulting from hawking while letting people earn a living from it. It is a tale of make-do-and-mend for there is no social policy. In any case, these problems are not now easy to sort out. We are trying to do so in fairness to all sides but the physical conditions are not static and are mostly out of our control. The situation on the ground has been aggravated by the recession which threw thousands out of work; it is also beset with the difficulties caused by road improvement projects; it has moreover to face the heavy disruption of traffic by mass transit railway works.
Thus, it is a real human problem of major proportions made worse by physical difficulties in grossly overcrowded conditions. For almost twenty years, I have listened to countless discussions on hawkers by genuine experts, both Members and civil servants. I have read numerous reports by those most familiar with the complex situation and also social studies by well-motivated groups and persons. Yet, nobody has ever found the complete solution which would work out in practice in our social and physical circumstances and would also satisfy the temperament of the people and the desire of each one to be his own boss. For there is none. Indeed, Hong Kong people know only too well that hawkers will long be here with us as street-traders.
Culture and Recreation
It is said that our City Hall is among the most heavily used civic centres in the world. Its halls and rooms are booked virtually twice over. Unfortunately, many local applicants are turned away each
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