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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
our two
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Council is called to order. I congratulate new Members, Miss Maria TAM and Mr Augustine CHUNG upon their election to the Council. This is their first public meeting and I hope they will have long and pleasant association with the Council. (Applause).
MR B. A. BERNACCHI (in English):--Mr Chairman, may I, as senior Member, also congratulate you and Mr Hilton CHEONG-LEEN on your election to Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively. (Applause).
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Thank you very much, Mr BERNACCHI.
MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 13 March 1979 were confirmed.
STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Another Council year has begun. It will build on what has been done in the years gone by just as it will set the stage for even greater achievement in the years to come.
What the Council wants to do is spelled out in the Statement of Aims. Some can be attained quickly; others will bear fruit only in distant time. In any case, all plans and policies, projects and programmes are intended for community improvement. Progressively, better living conditions are being created without doubt. However, to step up or even to maintain the pace of progress, close concentration of effort by select committees is still a pre-requisite condition. This means direct management of assigned duties backed by a strong administration as the only effective base of operation. Consequently, much work has to be done in the time between meetings, if actual responsibility is to be discharged conscientiously by means of a harmonious interaction between the committee leaders and the departmental officers concerned.
Therefore, preoccupation with extraneous matters of little or no direct relevance to the social fabric, economic development, cultural heritage and historical experience of the people is not likely to advance the common cause in the prevailing circumstances. It may even set the Council apart from the community.
Aims are no more than ambitions until put into practice. The process requires a mixture of hard-work with commonsense. Conceiving and planning, then finding and allocating resources, finally implementing schemes and organizing activities, are all essential stages in the efficiently planned development of a better community. This is the inescapable progression too. Months may pass before what is conceived is transformed into a practical activity, if all goes well; years will lapse before building projects are completed after careful planning and persistent follow-through. Nevertheless, living conditions will improve inevitably, given boldness of concept and determination in execution, with single-mindedness of purpose and the sensible application of resources.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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In the six short years since the Council acquired its own separate authority within its defined jurisdiction, marked progress has been made in several clear directions. For example, besides a better environment altogether, there are nearly 500 innovative and wide-ranging activities each month for the education and enjoyment of the people, mostly in their own neighbourhoods; there are now 229 new and diverse physical facilities for all to use. Yet, all this is done without incurring debt or asking for more money from the ratepayer. Just the contrary is the case for the rate percentage was cut substantially two years ago. All the time, there is also the exercise of re-structuring the supporting department together with training and deployment of staff to fit into the new requirements. Side by side, there is the wish to expedite departmental procedures, so familiar routines are adjusted where warranted to suit a businesslike work-style including regular accountability on the spot. Indeed, the quick allocation of staff and money for approved schemes of benefit to the people is gratifying to all concerned and a tonic to the department in particular.
So it is, then, that anyone who goes about the city, reads the newspapers, listens to the radio or watches television, cannot honestly ignore the rapid transformation of the local level of public administration here. The Council's beneficial presence is felt in vital aspects of the everyday life of the citizens. In sum, all this tangible proof of the good the new Council does is found everywhere. Still, this achievement need be only the beginning.
This progress is demonstrably the direct effect of the incisive role the Council has played with grace and dedication. Its swift intervention has been constructive and reflects in essence the pragmatic Hong Kong attitude to life. There is a clear sense of urgency so the Council acts decisively. It is not distracted by extrinsic actuations. Its positive performance speaks for itself. And, the Council is determined to act out its part for the betterment of Hong Kong within its ambit. By diligent work in an objective manner through the proper use of scarce resources, success is assured with a strong cast. All have a part to play who choose to do so. None need stand in the wings.
The Council moves ahead confidently all the time. And, Hong Kong benefits in consequence. Let all men and women of goodwill, who have roots here and are genuinely concerned with the well-being of the people, join hands with the Council to make a better Hong Kong.
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