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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
promotions by way of upgrading or actual promotions. In the running of abattoirs, it has proved that payment of overtime allowances is even more beneficial to both the Urban Council and the staff concerned because the staff would have more take-home pay and the Council would spend less on overall pay-roll. In some other areas, this method may probably be profitably adopted.
In organizations like the Urban Council it is, I agree, extremely difficult to measure departmental productivity unless there is extremely efficient supervisory staff to keep strict watch on staff activities and efficiency.
In many areas subcontracting seems to be feasible and even profitable as may be demonstrated by employment of outside security guards in the Abattoirs.
Another area in which we have to pay special attention is the very heavy charges paid or to be payable to Hong Kong Government for Group B services. This amounts to over $10 million a year to cover the maintenance and repairs of motor vehicles allocated permanently to the Urban Council and other types of motor vehicles. This does not include the maintenance and repairs of abattoir equipment. Some kind of feasibility study should be conducted to see whether it is cheaper for the Council to run its own maintenance factory. An argument against that, of course, would be that the Urban Council uses a great number of specialised vehicles, the maintenance and repairing of which may involve a certain degree of specialization. This should not be a handicap and special mechanical machinery seldom involves complicated engineering know-how, especially when the manufacturers of special machinery generally provide all the guidance and instructions.
Some time ago, a member of the Urban Council suggested that the Council should have its own architectural office to concentrate on all those non-creative and "repeated" projects, while on the other hand, we should continue to rely on Public Works Department for the designing and planning of bigger projects in which that department has better resources, experience, and facilities. This idea has my full support, and we can save a lot of overhead charges payable to the Hong Kong Government, and on the other hand, many of our Select Committees may have certain direct control and supervision of these small projects.
Although the Council supplies a great number of services known or relatively unknown to the community, yet in many aspects, the Council should be run like a corporation employing various modern business and management techniques, so that subsidies provided by the Council may be placed in the proper areas in accordance with our agreed priority.
With these remarks, I support the motion before Council.
(Dr. Denny M. H. HUANG left the meeting at this point.)
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN (in Cantonese): - Mr. Chairman, youth problem has long been existing in Hong Kong. It is a serious social problem. As we all know, over half of our population are young people under 21 years old, and violent and sex crimes are mostly committed by these young people. Although the Urban Council, the voluntary organizations, and the authorities concerned have all along been dedicated to youth work, the effects are minimal.
I have devoted myself to youth work for some years. After conducting in-depth researches and making contacts with individuals, I have come to realize that the youths are by nature innocent and yet ambitious. However, they feel that society has in many respects fallen short of their expectations; and out of disappointment, they find themselves in a blank. Some may even develop a sense of dissatisfaction or even resentment over the realities. A Chinese saying goes "those who get near ink will be defiled," meaning those who are associated with bad elements are likely to fall into the abyss of sin.
Malcontentedness with the realities stems from extreme selfishness. It is also stirred up by the marked disparity between the rich and the poor. What they are going after is only hedonism, without any regard to their responsibility towards society. This state of affairs has much to do with the facts that they always lack the chance to give free play to their talents and that they think too highly of themselves.
For the sake of the whole community and the future of our younger generation, I think that we should assume responsibility to give the youths more care, guidance, and advice. All the activities for the youths should be organized for the purpose of educating them through entertainment and not just for the purpose of giving them some fun. Though most of the recreational activities are healthy for the physical and spiritual developments of the youths, which may at least enable them to spend their leisure hours more meaningfully and thus prevent them from indulging themselves in vices, yet it is not enough just to offer recreational activities which do not have any educational value.
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