XN000022-1972-06-06 — Page 11

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of his wastes on the environment to look hard at his

present methods, so that the enforcement of higher standards

will not involve too severe an adjustment. For the

prevention of pollution is not a game, it is the biggest

insurance policy which we can take out for posterity.

To its credit, the Environmental Hygiene Select

Committee, which, as its name suggests, is the part of the

Urban Council charged with maintaining the cleanliness of

the city, took up this challenge and invited Legislative

Councillors and very senior representatives of all the

Government Departments concerned, to form a Campaign

Committee for the purpose of planning and executing a

major campaign against litter. This Committee now has

two Legislative Councillors, three Urban Councillors

(one of them myself), and thirteen Deputy or Assistant

Heads of Department.

Obviously, a fulltime Co-ordinator was necessary to

pursue the decisions taken by this Campaign Committee, and

with effect from June 1971, the Government made a Senior

Executive Officer available for this purpose. Fortunately,

there was ample experience and documentation of the

supremely successful 1968 "Keep Singapore Clean" Campaign

to guide the Hong Kong planners, and, although the

Governmental attitudes and priorities are quite different

in both places, the basic elements of success in such a

campaign were acknowledged to be common.

I shall not/...