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OFFICIAL REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS
Meeting of 24th March, 1954.
PRESENT:
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR (PRESIDFNT)
SIR ALEXANDER WILLIAM GEORGE HERDER GRANTHAM, G.C.M.G.
HIS EXCELLENCY THE COMMANDER BRITISH FORCES
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR TERENCE AIREY, K.C.M.G., C.B., C.B.E.
THE HONOURABLE THE COLONIAL SECRETARY
MR. ROBERT BROWN BLACK, C.M.G., O.B.E.
THE HONOURABLE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
MR. ARTHUR RIDEHALGH Q.C.
THE HONOURABLE THE SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS
MR. RONALD RUSKIN TODD.
THE HONOURABLE THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY
MR. ARTHUR GRENFELL CLARKE, C.M.G.
THE HONOURABLE THEODORE LOUIS BOWRING, O.B.E.
(Director of Public Works).
THE HONOURABLE KENNETH MYER ARTHUR BARNETT, E.D.
(Director of Urban Services).
DR. THE HONOURABLE JAMES MALCOLM LISTON
(Acting Director of Medical and Health Services).
THE HONOURABLE LEONARD GEOFFREY MORGAN
(Acting Director of Education).
THE HONOURABLE CEDRIC BLAKER, M.C., E.D.
THE HONOURABLE CHARLES EDWARD MICHAEL TERRY.
THE HONOURABLE LO MAN WAI, O.B.E.
THE HONOURABLE NGAN SHING-KWAN.
THE HONOURABLE DHUN JEHANGIR RUTTONJEE.
THE HONOURABLE KWOK CHAN, O.B.E.
DR. THE HONOURABLE ALBERTO MARIA RODRIGUES, M.B.E., E.D. MR. ROBERT WILLIAM PRIMROSE (Deputy Clerk of Councils).
ABSENT:
DR. THE HONOURABLE CHAU SIX NIN. C.B.E.
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MINUTES.
The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 17th March, 1954, were confirmed.
PAPERS.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by Command of His Excellency the Governor, laid upon the table the following papers: —
Subject. G.N. No. Report of the Select Committee on the Appropriation and the revenue for 1954-55.
Sessional Papers, 1954: —
No. 8—Report of the Hong Kong Salaries Commission, 1953/54
The Consular Conventions Ordinance, 1951.
The Consular Conventions (French Republic) Order,
1954 ……………………………………………………………………A. 32
The Pensions Ordinance, Chapter 89.
The Former Pensionable Offices (Amendment)
Order, 1954 ……………………………………………………………A. 33
THE APPROPRIATION FOR 1954-55 BILL, 1954.
The debate on the Second reading of the Bill was resumed.
MR. L. G. MORCAN: —Your Excellency: Your honourable Friend the Senior Unofficial Member, in his noteworthy address to this Council last week, brought forward several educational matters which are of first importance to the Colony. Of these the most urgent is that of the supply of teachers for secondary schools.
It is accepted that teachers in the upper classes of both Chinese and Anglo Chinese secondary schools should normally be university graduates. Facilities exist at the University of Hong Kong which, I am given to understand, could without any
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very great difficulty be expanded so as to train sufficient teachers for our existing Anglo-Chinese secondary schools. The number of graduate teachers now coming from the University is, however, only about one-third of our present requirement for these schools. There are two main reasons for this shortage. Firstly, the inducements offered by other professions appear greater than those offered by the teaching profession. Representations have been made to the Salaries Commission regarding the serious position caused by the lack of graduate teachers, and it is hoped that this will result in the prospects being made relatively more attractive. Secondly, many secondary school students of merit cannot afford a university career without considerable financial assistance. My honourable Friend Mr. Ngan Shing Kwan has stressed the need for bursaries to assist deserving students rather than for scholarships, which being awarded solely on examination results, may be given to students who are not in real need of financial assistance. The need for these bursaries at the University has also been stressed in the Jenning/Logan Report and this question is already under consideration in conjunction with an examination of the implications of that Report in so far as they affect Government.
The position regarding staff for Chinese secondary schools is even more grave. Suitable academic background in a limited range of subjects for teachers of lower secondary classes may be acquired at the Evening School for Higher Chinese Studies, and to encourage this Government remits the fees for students who are teachers. Moreover Chung Chi College is exploring the possibility of organizing 4-year courses suitable as background training for teachers in Chinese secondary schools. It is hoped that with some assistance from Government the College may develop into an institution which could play a permanent and valuable part in the post-secondary educational system of the Colony. Neither of these institutions, however, can hope, at present, to supply graduates of full university rank.
We must look to the University of Hong Kong to meet the demand for graduate teachers to staff our Chinese secondary schools as well as our Anglo-Chinese secondary schools. The requisite number will not be obtained unless a reasonably easy way is found for the best of those who pass the Chinese School Certificate Examination to proceed to the University. To my way of thinking this may be solved in two ways; by the University
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instituting degree courses in the medium of Chinese, and by the establishment of special language facilities such as might be available at an Institute of English. This second proposal would enable a student from a Chinese secondary school to take the present Matriculation Examination in the medium of the English language, but would add at least an extra year to his course. In my opinion these are complementary provisions and I would say that both are necessary.
The Jennings/Logan Report suggests that there are two conditions precedent to development of courses at the University in the medium of Chinese; the first being that Government should decide on its own educational policy regarding the medium of instruction in secondary schools, and the second that the University should be put on a sound financial basis.
Now the first of these conditions rests on a misapprehension on the part of the authors of the Report. Chinese secondary schools were firmly established in the Colony long ago and many years before the influx of refugees from the mainland. There is certainly no desire to impose English as a sole medium of instruction at any stage. Government policy is not in doubt: it aims at the provision of secondary and post-secondary education in the medium of both English and Chinese; the proportion of each being determined by the needs of the Colony and the desires of the people.
As to the second condition, the large increase in Government assistance proposed in this year's budget, will, it is hoped, enable the University to stabilize its financial position. I know that the University Authorities are not in any way overlooking this very complicated matter, and it may be that, in the not too distant future, a more satisfactory position will be realized.
Increased provision for secondary education in the New Territories must be considered in relation to the need for increased secondary education in urban areas, and also to the overwhelming need of increased provision for primary education. In addition to the Government Chinese secondary school at Un Long there is a Government junior secondary school at Cheung Chan; there are also two subsidized secondary schools, and seven private secondary schools at other places in the New Territories. Moreover, pupils resident in the neighbourhood of the railway are able
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to attend secondary schools in Kowloon. I shall certainly be happy to see an extension of secondary education in the New Territories within the framework of our general programme. It has also been suggested that post-primary education with an emphasis on agricultural courses might be developed in the New Territories. I doubt w1lether this would do much to raise the standards of farming, and the Director of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries shares my doubts. It seems unlikely that students embarking on secondary courses would return to work on the land, and therefore any agricultural courses provided for them would be of little avail. A much more profitable line of development would be the extension of ad hoc lectures, discussions and demonstrations by members of the staff of the Department of Agriculture, and by the development of Junior Farmer Clubs. The Education Department will do everything possible to assist in such work.
I welcome the support given by several honourable Members for the proposal to establish a Standing Committee on Technical Education and Vocational Training. It is hoped that this Committee will be formed and in a position to commence its work in the near future. In the development of technical and vocational education two important objects will be pursued: the close co-operation of industry and commerce and the careful adjustment of courses to the real needs of the Colony. Care must be taken not to train large numbers for whom employment cannot be found, and the introduction of part-time day release classes may be the most effective means of securing this. A plan is already being considered for the part-time day release of apprentices in the engineering workshops of Government to enable them to attend special classes on two half-days each week to supplement their practical training. I hope that the co-operation of employers will be forthcoming to widen the application of this scheme to private industrial undertakings.
My honourable Friend Mr. Kwok Chan has raised the matter of text-books. The production of suitable modern text-books for Hong Kong is a matter of considerable difficulty and expense Local publications suit our local conditions, but do not always reach the standard of modern text-books published in English; on the other hand overseas publications, however good, lack the necessary local background. The Malayan English Course, which has been specifically mentioned, is published by an English
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firm: it is an excellent technical production embodying the latest methods of teaching English as a foreign language. We could not hope to produce as good a publication by purely local effort, and fortunately its Malayan background is not so great as to detract seriously from its use here. Discussions have taken place with the publishers regarding the production of a Hong Kong version, but, owing to limited sales in Hong Kong and the likelihood of piracy, have proved unsuccessful. A Departmental Syllabuses and Text-Books Committee has been appointed and has already done much to stimulate local authors. With the assistance of this Committee seven text-books have recently been published and two more are in course of production.
Turning to the matter of universal primary education it is unfortunately true that, we are no nearer the goal than we were a year ago, although we increased our accommodation in primary schools by over 12,000 places during the year. We must face the fact that the population of Hon- Kong is now steadily growing: on present indications we may assume for the next ten years an increase of over 20,000 a year in the number of children in the primary school age group. This is a very serious problem which must inevitably engage our attention more and more in the future.
In the last analysis the problem of education, both quantitative and qualitative, is mainly one of finance, for only a limited amount of money can, even in the most favourable circumstances, be available. Amid all the shifts and changes of lesser matters, the problem of wise spending is constant and paramount. I wish to assure Honourable Members that in the allocation of public monies available for education, the aim will be to secure a wellbalanced educational system attuned to the needs of all sections of our community. (Applause).
DR. J. M. LISTON: —Your Excellency: My honourable Friend and colleague Dr. S. N. Chau has expressed concern at the figure appearing in the Estimates for the cost of the New Kowloon Hospital project, as he considers it to be inordinately high. This figure is very much a provisional one. It was mentioned first more than a year ago and appeared in 1953/54 Estimates. The position is, that recently an Inter-Departmental Committee was formed to examine the project in some detail, with
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a view to effecting such economies as may be possible, yet maintaining a reasonable standard, and of providing a closer estimate of the cost involved. The work of this committee has proceeded to a point where a closer estimate can be given, and, although the Committee's report has not yet been submitted, I can state that the new estimate is between $33 and $34 million dollars, giving a cost per bed of some $28,000. However, I would stress that it is not possible to give a truly close estimate of cost until the sketch plan stage is reached.
Estimating the cost of a hospital on the basis of the cost per bed, is, in view of the varying types of hospitals which may be built, an unsafe and unrealistic method. I would mention that the figure per bed for a general hospital, such as we are now considering, erected in the United Kingdom, would range from $29,000 to $80,000 per bed, depending on the measure of facilities, for example, theatres, nurses’ accommodation, etc., provided. Treaching hospitals would cost from about $80,000 to $96,000 per bed. Other examples of hospitals recently erected in other territories are Ibadan Hospital in Nigeria costing $64,000 per bed, Kumasi Hospital in the Gold Coast $84,000 per bed, and the Khartoum Hospital in the Sudan $48,000. That these costs are much higher than ours in Hong Kong, does not of course mean that we shall not try to keep down our costs as low as possible, but we must ensure satisfactory minimum standard.
My honourable colleague has suggested that consideration should be given to retaining the present Kowloon Hospital, and to building the proposed new hospital by stages, on the land adjoining. Although this proposal will be examined further, it has already been considered in detail, and was rejected in favour of the site in King's Park, because of very real difficulties which were envisaged.
One reason for the decision to proceed with the project on the King's Park site was because, there, the scheme could be commenced without delay, whereas material delay would be inevitable if the hospital had to be erected adjacent to the existing one. This delay would be occasioned by the development scheme for Kai Tak Airport. Until the proposed new runway out into Kowloon Bay is completed, and in full operation, I understand that it will be necessary for the 07 runway, the present one, to continue in use, and, as the site of the present hospital is situated in the
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approach funnel to this runway, multi-storey building development would not be possible on that site as long as the 07 runway was in use.
No decision has yet been reached with regard to the future of the present Kowloon Hospital. It must obviously continue to function until the new hospital is completed, and before that time it will be clear whether advantage will lie in demolition of the institution and redeveloping the valuable site more economically, or in retaining the buildings to meet other needs. I am advised by my honourable colleague, the Director of Public Works, that lateral extension of the buildings on this site would present difficulties and would of course, be inconsistent with Government's present policy of maximum development of prepared sites.
Even when the Kowloon Hospital has been built, the ratio of beds to our population will still be low and I understand that, with this in mind, Government has under consideration the assistance which may be required to enable the Kwong Wah Hospital to extend its facilities.
My honourable friend also drew a comparison between the sums provided for accommodating additional nursing staff and housemen at the Queen Mary Hospital. He has, perhaps, been misled to some extent by the figure quoted for the Sisters' Quarters. This figure of $1,400,000 was revised sometime ago to $ 1, 200,000 in view of a scaling down of the accommodation which was necessitated by financial considerations. Even this latter figure includes factors such as architects' and clerk of works' fees etc., which are not contained in the figure provided for the housemen's quarters and casualty department. It also includes provision for two flats for the Matron and the Assistant Matron. Nevertheless, it is estimated that the cost of accommodating each Nursing Sister is $20,000 and each houseman $15,000. In both cases the accommodation provided consists of single rooms together with common rooms but the sisters' rooms are slightly larger which is not considered unreasonable. Comparisons of this kind are, at times, misleading, but in this case if a comparison has to be made it would more correctly be made between the nursing staff and the permanent medical staff. The housemen are only temporary dwellers in the hospital being there to learn and being resident therein for a maximum of 12 months, whereas the nursing sisters are permanent staff and, in many instances, their bed-sitting room is their only home in the Colony. I would also
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point out that the accommodation planned for the housemen is to accommodate, not 25 as had been stated, but 18, which is the maximum number of these men who will be employed in the Queen Mary Hospital after the completion of the New Kowloon Hospital. Until the new hospital is available the excess number of housemen will be provided for in existing rooms in the Queen Mary Hospital.
With regard to the New Territories it has been stated that there is only one small hospital for the area, namely the Pok Oi in Un Long. It would appear that account has not been taken of the St. John Hospital of 100 beds in Cheung Chau and also the maternity beds which are provided at various dispensaries in the New Territories. In view of the dispersal of population in rural areas no matter where a hospital may be built it will always be remote from certain population groups, and thus it is considered that the best type of service that can be provided in the circumstances is the erection of Health Centres, on the lines of that nearing completion at Tsun Wan, which will make provision not only for general out-patient services but for the in-patient care of maternity cases and, to a limited extent, of emergency cases. There is provision in the draft Estimates foe the erection of such Health Centres at Tai O and Sai Kung and it is planned to provide similar facilities, in due course, at Taipo and Un Long and, perhaps elsewhere, to replace the inadequate facilities at present existing. With such services and the provision of adequate communications with Kowloon the hospital needs of the New Territories should be reasonably met.
The honourable Mr. Terry's comments on the prevalence of preventable eye disease in the Colony are timely and fully reflect the reflect of the Medical Department. The provision in the draft Estimates for additional staff to which he referred is the first step which has been taken, following the recent arrival in the Colony of the Government Ophthalmic Specialist, towards the building up of the ophthalmic services which my honourable friend visualizes. He is, of course, correct in stating that the 11 extra posts, mentioned in the draft Estimates, are insufficient to meet the need, but, at the present stage, this is all the staff which can be reasonably absorbed into existing departmental facilities. They should, however, provide an important first step in the right direction, a positive step in a long term programme directed to preventing unnecessary blindness.
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My honourable friend suggested that there should be compulsory registration of all those who profess to treat eye disease. He was referring, I am sure, to the treatment of such cases by herbalists. As the law stands at present, there is no control over the activity of herbalists, either general or in particular with regard to the treatment of eye disease, and I am informed that many cases ultimately seeking treatment at our institutions show evidence of having suffered by delaying such attendance what time treatment by herbalists was being obtained. Registration of such practitioners will present difficulties but tile matter will be given full consideration. While the suggestion that there should be a central Ophthalmic Hospital will be carefully examined, and the value of such a hospital is fully acknowledged, it will be appreciated that financial considerations place a limit on our programme.
My honourable Friend further referred to the lack of any society for the prevention of blindness and the care and training of the blind. It is true that there is no such society with an all embracing responsibility for work in this field, though there are unofficial and official organizations which, within their capacity, do care for the blind.
I am informed that the present position is, that a Sub-Committee was appointed by the Social Welfare Advisory Committee, which advises Government on all aspects of social welfare policy, to study the needs of blind persons in the Colony. The Sub Committee has proceeded with a social and medical investigation into six hundred cases representing about one quarter of the estimated total blind population and including some four hundred blind persons living outside institutions. A close liaison has been built up between the Social Welfare Office representative on the Sub Committee, and the Ophthalmic Specialist, particularly with regard to fresh cases. Curable cases referred to the Specialist are given treatment while relief is given by the Social Welfare Office to those found to be living in conditions of extreme hardship. Some of the blind children discovered have been admitted into institutions for training, and the Ebenezer Blind Home for Girls has extended its scope by taking blind boys under 13 years age. The survey has not yet been completed, but it is believed that the Sub-Committee may be in the position to report fairly soon, and that its investigations have covered preventive and welfare work in connexion with
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blindness to a considerable degree. Government does not think it desirable to foster any plans for the formation of a society such as my honourable friend proposes, until the report has been received and studied by Government. I am authorized, however, to assure him that when the report is received Government will give it all due consideration.
My honourable Friend and colleague, Dr. Rodrigues, has drawn attention to the far from satisfactory conditions existing in the Sai Ying Pun Out-Patient Department. Government is fully aware of the circumstances and has, for some time, been considering ways and means of achieving improvement. The great difficulty has been to find a site in the area on which more adequate premises could be erected or, alternatively, of finding temporary accommodation elsewhere for the services at present provided in Sai Ying Pun to enable redevelopment of the present site to be undertaken. The institution provides the greater part of the out-patient services on the Island and it would clearly be out of the question to suspend these services during the time the present building was being demolished and the new building erected. I can assure my honourable colleague that this matter is under active consideration.
My honourable colleague has made a plea for the establishment of a radio therapeutic centre in the Colony. A limited amount of radio therapeutic work is now being undertaken at the Queen Mary Hospital and, in the new Kowloon Hospital scheme it is planned that facilities for this work should be considerably extended and, in fact, that they will constitute the radio therapeutic centre which my honourable colleague wishes to see. (Applause).
MR. T. L. BOWRING: —Your Excellency: Dr. the honourable S. N. Chau has expressed a hope that the cadastral survey of the New Territories will be completed— "not in three years, but in less than half of this time". I am afraid, Sir, that due to the difficulty of recruiting survey staff the work is likely to take even longer than three years.
Professional staff for the undertaking cannot be obtained locally, and it will be necessary to recruit at least three expatriate Land Surveyors in order to complete the work in three years. Furthermore, no fewer than twenty-four Assistant Land Surveyors will be required.
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Were it possible to recruit double this number of survey staff the work could be completed in about eighteen months, but it is most unlikely that so large a number of Assistant Land Surveyors could be obtained on such short term contracts.
My honourable Friend Mr. Cedric Blaker doubts whether the Building Covenants imposed on the lessees of Crown Land are high enough to ensure maximum development, and I would ask him to accept my assurance that this matter is always given the most careful consideration with this object in view.
With regard to his comments in connexion with the height of buildings I know of others who share my honourable Friend's opinion, and I am pleased to be able to inform him that the new Buildings Ordinance, which it is hoped will become effective by the end of the year, provides for the erection of buildings to a much greater height than is allowed under the existing Ordinance.
The reserved areas to which Mr. Blaker refers are presumably Waterworks catchment areas, in which case I am inclined to agree with him that the policy of prohibiting buildings in these areas may have been too rigid in the past, and I propose to give the matter reconsideration.
The honourable M. W. Lo agrees in general with the practice of imposing Building Covenants, but he considers that they are not enforced sufficiently rigorously.
I would point out, Sir, that every case is considered on its merits, and where a developer is making a genuine attempt to fulfil the Building Covenant an extension of time, subject of course to a fine, is usually granted.
Between April of last year and the current month out of a total of 129 Building Covenants due to be fulfilled, 77 were fulfilled, 48 had to be extended for varying periods and 4 lots were actually re-entered for failure to fulfil.
I agree with my honourable Friend's views with regard to Building Covenants which are imposed when a new Crown Lease is granted. In practice there are two types, namely, a delayed Building Covenant and a Building Covenant to take effect
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immediately. The first applies where the existing property is in a reasonably good state of repair and where Government does not wish to enforce re-building for say 10 or 12 years. In such cases, which represent the majority, the Building Covenant clause is worded so as to allow assignment to take place in the meantime, and I think that this meets my honourable Friend's objection. The second type, namely a Building Covenant to take effect immediately is imposed only where the site is undeveloped, inadequately developed or developed by dilapidated buildings. Under the present policy it is not usual to allow assignment of a lot or any portion of a lot prior to the fulfilment of the Building Covenant, but as I have said already, each case is considered on its merits, and where I am satisfied that early and adequate development would follow as a result of permission to assign being granted, recommendations would be made to Government accordingly.
Mr. Lo has suggested that Government should make a survey of all the available building sites and put them up for sale by auction, which I understand, Sir, has been advocated as a partial answer to the housing problem, but in view of the fact that all available sites of any size are either occupied by squatters or require very considerable site formation I feel that little contribution could be made in this way at the present time. All available sites which are considered suitable for low cost housing will be developed by the housing Authority, Housing Sacieties or local employers, and other available sites are reserved for public purposes such as schools, markets, clinics, social welfare centres etc.
The honourable Dhun Ruttonjee has remarked that it is an odd thing that the emergency housing scheme at Shek Kip Mei will only re-house some 45,000 people although the squatter shacks previously accommodated 60,000 persons on the same area of land. The reason for this Sir, is that this area contained no provision whatsoever for roads, fire lanes or scavenging lanes and the people were grossly overcrowded without proper light or ventilation. The two-storey dwellings which are being constructed will provide all essential amenities, but will reduce the gross density of persons per acre, and because of this the erection of six-storey dwellings on a part of the site is now under consideration by Government. The initial two-storey construction has solved the problem of providing accommodation for the
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fire victims who were forced to live in the streets, in the shortest possible time, whilst a proportion of multi-storey dwellings will increase the overall number of rooms which can be built on the site.
My honourable Friend has recommended that single-storey prefabricated houses should be imported from abroad and used for the re-housing of squatters. Over the past few years many manufacturers of prefabricated buildings have sent me particulars as to types of construction and costs but, upon investigation of each case, it has been found that the locally constructed house using materials which are available in Hong Kong is definitely cheaper, and it must be remembered also that in the case of prefabricated buildings, the cost of foundation work and erection must be added to the landed cost. However, Hong Kong with its many experienced firms of building Contractors, its wealth of industry and skilled labour is quite capable of producing its own solution to the problem, and to import prefabricated houses into Hong Kong would be like carrying coal to Newcastle.
I regret, Sir, that I cannot agree with Mr. Ruttonjee that the distribution of materials for self-help schemes would be satisfactory in that any such schemes would be liable to abuse, and would require a small army of inspectors in order to ensure that the materials issued were being properly used. In any case, many squatters have neither the time nor the knowledge to carry out the work, and the maintenance costs would inevitably be high. The very important land factor cannot be ignored in any re housing scheme in this Colony. The shortage of land is acute and its value is the largest single item affecting building costs. The area at Shek Kip Mei for instance, represents some twenty million dollars worth of the Crown's marketable assets, and as it is probably that squatters resettled in single storey development whether imported or locally constructed, take up from three to four times the amount of land used in their original shacks, it seems clear Sir, that multi-storey development is the only means by which resettlement can be fitted in to the building areas likely to be available.
Doctor the honourable A. M. Rodrigues referred to sites for the provision of housing for the white collar class and suggested Laichikok and Shatin as possible areas. Detailed consideration has not been given by Government but I understand that such possible schemes will be examined.
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Before resuming my seat, Sir, I should like to say how much I appreciate the references to the work of my department which have been made by my honourable Friends Dr. Chau and Mr. Terry. (Applause).
MR. K. M. A. BARNETT: —Sir: The Urban Services Department may be likened to the ladies of Pericles' Athens, whose proudest boast was "to be spoken of neither for good nor for ill". It should therefore give me some satisfaction that in the speeches of honourable Unofficial Members which have so competently covered every aspect of the Colony's public business, so little has been said about my department.
My honourable Friend Mr. Ruttonjee has however offered some highly interesting suggestions on the subject of housing and resettlement, which Your Excellency has justly called Hong Kong's number one problem.
My honourable friend has misread the figure of 350,000 given by Your Excellency as being those requiring rehousing or resettlement. I wish lie were right. The 350,000 people to whom Your Excellency referred were the surplus population of the tenement areas. There are 96,000 tenement floors in Hong Kong and Kowloon and at least half and probably three quarters of these are overcrowded. Calculations made from figures submitted to the McNeill Committee on rent control indicate that the number of people in excess of the legally permitted maximum living in these tenement floors aggregates 365,000 which means, Sir, that housing for this number has to be built before there can be any question of substantial slum clearance. If the figure of squatters awaiting resettlement is added to this number an approximate figure of 600,000 is obtained. When I say that the total capacity of the areas reported to me by my honourable friend the Director of Public Works as suitable for high density low cost housing is 230,000 and the majority of the sites covered by his survey will not become available for some years, it will be seen that the crux of the housing problem is space to put the houses on, and any type of building which does not make the maximum use of the available space is not going to assist in the problem.
My honourable Friend Mr. Ruttonjee does less than justice both to the Public Works Department and to the Resettlement Office in his references to the search for the cheapest type of
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contruction. Indeed his words left me in some doubt as to what he really thought had been done, since in two consecutive sentences he spoke of a tendency to overstandardize and of a delay in deciding which standard to adopt.
This is in truth a problem which has engaged the closest attention both of the Architectural Office, the Chief Resettlement Officer and his predecessor, senior officers of the Medical Department, Members of the Urban Council, private architects, charitable organizations and lastly myself. My honourable Friend the Director of Public Works has already given the result of the considerations in his department which was that the importation of prefabricated buildings of many types has been considered and found to be more expensive than existing types of buildings with locally produced materials, as well as being unsatisfactory on many other grounds. My attitude to this all along has been to encourage experimentation. I must confess that I have always hoped that the amateurs might be able to prove the professionals wrong and that we might by trial and error find some method of construction which the Architectural Office had overlooked. Our experiments have covered sandbrick, hollow concrete blocks, precast concrete frames, rammed earth, fireproofed wood and local stone cut on the site. The results show conclusively that for single storeyed construction there is nothing cheaper than local stone if it is available right on the site. If stone is not available on the site then the cost of transporting it has to be considered, and outside a certain distance the sandbrick becomes the material of choice. In addition to the experiments which we have carried out ourselves, suggestions for other experiments have also been welcomed and the reply to any new suggestion has been to offer 1, 2, 3 or even 10 sites to carry out an experiment, informing the party making the suggestion at the time of the exact cost of existing methods of housing in the area suggested for the experiment. In only one case, Sir, has the challenge been taken up, since the proponents found on comparison that they could not get under the figures given. In the one case where the challenge was accepted the final result was the same, as the labour cost proved to have been underestimated. In the last mentioned case however facilities are being provided for continued experimentation. We have also independently of the Public Works Department sought information about prefabricated and other kinds of building, including
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particulars of this type of construction in Holland. In no case, Sir, do the particulars supplied confirm the optimistic estimate of my honourable Friend Mr. Ruttonjee. As for the charge of excessive standardization, it will not hold water. We do provide on request and free of charge to any settler who wants to build his own house one of a number of sketch plans which are bound to be plans of some type of building which already exists. But every time a new idea has been brought forward which would have the effect of lowering costs it has tended to be adopted as itself the standard until someone can think of a better. For the last four months or so there has been a special sub-committee of the Urban Council which has held regular meetings with representatives of the Hong Kong Settlers' Housing Corporation, the Maryknoll Fathers and other similar organizations now operating in resettlement areas for the purpose of pooling ideas and I should be very glad to pass on to them any fresh ideas which my honourable Friend or any member of the public may be pleased to send me. (Applause).
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY: —Sir: As my colleagues have covered those points raised in this Debate which concern their Departments directly, and as I would not wish to trespass on the well-ordered lawns of the garden of the honourable the Financial Secretary, the subjects of general interest which remain for me to deal with are relatively small in number.
Your Excellency in your speech on the Budget dealt with Government's plans for housing with its connected problems and on the airport, and to dilate on them further would merely be taking up unnecessarily the time of this Council. There is, however, one problem connected with accommodation to which I should like to refer and that is the one connected with providing for those who lost their homes in the Shek Kip Mei fire.
The remarks of my honourable Friend Mr. Dhun Ruttonjee about the density of emergency re-housing on the fire site have received very careful consideration, and it has now been decided that the allocation of the new accommodation at Shek Kip Mei shall be so arranged that the site shall re-house about 50,000 persons; this will leave only a small proportion of those who were formerly housed in squatter conditions in the burnt-out area. It
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will only be possible to do this by accepting, as an emergency measure, crowded conditions, and it will probably also call for changes in the lay-out of the area and in the type of structures.
My honourable Friend's suggestion that the emergency housing now being constructed at Shek Kip Mei could house as many as 80,000 persons has veen examined, but we have concluded that this would cause a degree of overcrowding which would be quite unacceptable on grounds of public health. It may seem odd at first sight that it is difficult in a properly planned and designed scheme to re-house as many persons as formerly lived in the same area, but honourable Members have already heard from the honourable the Director of Public Works his explanation of how the area would be taken up in part by the area now required for proper roads and lanes. There must be adequate provision of light and air and we must not forget that many of the illegal huts burnt in the fire were perched precariously on hillsides which are incapable of satisfactory development.
Certain questions about traffic and parking have been raised in this Debate, and I should like to say something now about these. First of all, my honourable Friend Mr. Ngan Shing Kwan referred to the success achieved in Kowloon by means of roundabouts and islands. It is accepted that the provision of these at certain points is desirable and effective. On the other hand, it will be appreciated that where there are tramlines or where the roads are comparatively narrow their use is limited. In such cases, provided there is need for control, "Pagoda stands" have been erected and traffic pointsmen are on duty from 8 in the morning until 10 minutes past 11 at night at certain places and at 8 in the morning until 8 in the evening at others. The Police hope to make improvements in the Eastern District; traffic lights are to be installed at three points and the possibility of constructing, in conjunction with the reclamation works, two traffic roundabouts in the Causeway Bay area is being examined. My honourable Friend also referred to traffic education. A scheme was started in January of this year by which a Police Inspector visited schools and gave lectures on traffic safety. So far, some 3,000 school children and 200 teachers have had the opportunity of hearing these lectures. We hope that, by the end of June, all schools in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories will have been visited, and, thereafter, that the scheme will continue
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with the teachers themselves providing the lectures. My honourable Friend will be interested to know that a specimen portable sign for use at schools has already been designed and the Police are in consultation with the Education Authorities about its suitability for use. Lastly, on the subject of traffic accidents, I think that the annual Safety-First exhibition organized by the Police Department, in the course of which visitors, both adults and children, can see films, models, traffic signs and so forth is an instructive exercise.
My honourable Friend drew attention to the excessively difficult problem of parking. This has been the subject of a report recently prepared by a sub-committee of the Traffic Advisory Committee and submitted to Government. It is now being examined. My honourable Friend has suggested that one way of tackling the problem is to install parking meters at a centrally situated car park, and he named, as a possibility, Pedder Street. I know, of course, that he realizes fully that the only real solution is the provision of sufficient parking places for all, and that this represents a major project. On his suggestion for the use of parking meters, I am advised that the institution of limited parking in one street, whether with or without meters, would deprive a number of motorists requiring ordinary parking facilities throughout the day (in the case of Pedder Street about 31 small cars, I am informed) without providing these car owners with any alternative, and that this would affect particularly the businessman who has to be in the City centre for long periods throughout the day and only limited advantage would accrue to the transient shopper. My attention has also been drawn to an earlier experiment in limited parking which came in for much public criticism. Nonetheless, it is not proposed to let the matter rest there, and the Traffic Authorities are going to take the question of parking meters in limited parking areas to the Traffic Advisory Committee for discussion and report to Government thereafter.
My honourable Friends Mr. M. W. Lo and Mr. Ngan Shing Kwan referred to agricultural activities and the latter referred particularly to poultry and livestock breeding. I know that I do not have to reassure them that Government is conscious of the need to increase livestock and other food products. Something has already been done to remove difficulties in the way of our plans. For example, most of the main diseases of poultry,
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pigs and cattle are under control and improvements in the quality of livestock have taken place following on the introduction of new stock and on the breeding policy at present being pursued. We recognize that much more must be done by the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and he is already engaged in preparing a statement of policy for his Department on the lines of the recent valuable report which was made on forestry problems. We hope that this report on agricultural policy will be available for consideration by honourable Members later this year. With agricultural improvements must be taken into account land utilization for its best development, and the Director of the same Department is now carrying out, with a small committee, an investigation into existing land utilization, prior to, making recommendations about how best our land may be used and to what extent further land can be brought under cultivation. We hope that this report will be ready about the middle of the year.
We share the concern expressed by my honourable Friend Dr. Rodrigues about the incidence of caries amongst children in the Colony and the need for doing everything possible to remedy this condition. On the other hand, Government's decision not to introduce fluoridation of the Colony's water supply at the present time was taken after careful study of the report of the Mission which the United Kingdom sent to the United States in 1952. This Mission studied most exhaustively the fluoridation projects in various parts of the United States and published a report in 1953 which contained the recommendation that, before fluoridation was generally adopted in the United Kingdom, certain investigations and experimental projects should be carried out. Government proposes to await the results of these investigations and preliminary projects before committing itself to a measure which still appears to be, to some extent, in an experimental stage.
One last point on which I should like, to touch is that raised by my honourable Friend Mr. Terry and is about the bathing beaches in the New Territories. He will have noted that provision of $2,000 has been made under Head 20 of the Draft Estimates for the coming financial year. The item is described as the "care and control of beaches in the New Territories", and it is the intention of the District Commissioner to use this vote to improve existing scavenging measures and, in particular, to
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provide suitable receptacles for litter. I understand that he also has in mind the purchase of lifebelts. I hope that these measures will do something to bring about the improvements during the forthcoming summer season which my honourable Friend has expressed a hope to see. (Applause).
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY: —Sir: So many of the points which have been raised by Unofficial Members in the course of the debate have already been answered, that I shall try to be very brief in dealing with the few remaining ones.
One honourable Member in the course of his speech made a remark that I had given a faint hint of possible future tax increases. I do rather feel that this is a distinct under-statement. Both last year and this year I have done my utmost to impress on this Council that the heavy programme of development which we are undertaking is costing a great deal of money, not only in actual capital expenditure but in consequent recurrent expenditure, and that this recurrent expenditure is going to rise year by year. I am glad to see that this year the plain logic of the case has impressed itself, not only on honourable Members, but on the public generally.
One or two honourable Members feel that perhaps I have taken too pessimistic a view of the future. I sincerely hope they are right. It is quite true that we have year after year done rather better than we expected, and it is for that very reason that I have not proposed any increase in taxation for the forthcoming year. With the experience of the past as a guide, I trust that the future will work out rather better than I expect. One of the fundamental weakenesses in estimating for five years ahead is the fact that on the revenue side the forecast may be completely upset by an increase in the efficiency of tax collection, such as occurred when we strengthened the Inland Revenue Department. I am hopeful that if we can do something about the Rating Department we may find that our collections of rates may increase considerably in the next few years, so that no early tax increases may be necessary. On the other side, the expenditure side, it is also possible, if I may make use of an expression which was used in the debate, to cut our coat according to our cloth, and to hold down expenditure, or at least in some cases to reduce the rate of increase. Although therefore I am bound to put forward the
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plain blunt facts of the case, I still hope that tax increases can be deferred; for after all, I am a taxpayer myself, and tax increases hurt me just as much as they hurt anybody else. I have but to add that a great deal of thought and consideration is given to all applications for increases in staff and in recurrent charges, and even more to special expenditure and public works non-recurrent, as has already been indicated in regard to the proposed new Kowloon General Hospital.
I am glad to observe that it has not been suggested in this Council that the tax burden is too heavy, although some members of the public, without experience of tax gathering in other countries, seem to think so.
I notice that one honourable Member seemed to infer that when I spoke of possible increases in taxation, I was referring to an increase in the rate of Earnings and Profits Tax. I do not accept that inference as necessarily correct.
The proposal that a loan should be raised merits consideration from two separate aspects, the economic, and the purely financial. I am not sure whether my honourable Friend Mr. Lo realized the implications of his suggestion that Government should provide means of investment. It almost looks as if he meant that Government had a duty to mop up surplus capital in the Colony. If that was his idea, he is in fact advocating the first step in a policy of Government control of the money market and of the volume of money, for if it is the duty, of Government to mop up idle capital, it is equally the duty of Government to make capital available when it is needed. That is a question of policy which I think merits a great deal of examination before adoption, and would, I am sure, be most unpalatable to a considerable proportion of the business community here. So far as the purely financial side of his proposal is concerned, I hold that there is no justification whatever for borrowing at such a rate as 6 per cent. Without actually making inquiries, I feel reasonably sure that we could obtain accommodation from the Banks at less than 6 per cent. Moreover, what of the investors in our Rehabilitation Loan? They would have a very real grievance if the value of their holdings dropped heavily overnight as they assuredly would, as a result of a Government decision to borrow at 6 per cent.
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It is perhaps a very natural reaction, that when there are a great many public works on hand and when these public works have to be paid for, the feeling should be expressed that inasmuch as posterity is going to benefit from these works, posterity should bear some part of the cost. Tai Lam Chung has been taken as an example of what posterity should pay for. But it might very well turn out that with the advent of atomic power in another ten years or thereabouts, distillation of seawater will be economically practicable, and will produce water more cheaply and more certainly than our costly catchment scheme, which, after all, is dependent for its success on adequate rainfall. Posterity would take a very poor view of us if we saddle them with the cost of a scheme that they will find redundant. And in any event surely by the very fact that we are working on a programme, and are not attempting to meet all our urgent needs at once, we are in fact leaving a lot to posterity.
But if we do accept the principle that posterity should share in the cost of what we now commit them to, why should we raise a loan? We have no real shortage of liquid reserves. Why should we not simply draw on our reserves, the reserves which we have accumulated, and leave posterity to rebuild them or not as they wish? I would point out that the average interest rate that we are getting on our invested surplus funds at the moment is probably a little under 4 per cent. To borrow at a rate of 5 or 6 per cent, when we have reserves which are not earning even 4 per cent, seems quite indefensible. At an earlier stage of this debate I indeed suggested drawing on our reserves if we had to bear the full cost of the airport and of Tai Lam Chung at the same time.
I might add that it has been put to me that institutions here with spare funds which must be invested in trustee securities, are at a loss for suitable investments, and consideration is being given to the question. But the amount of money which is available for investment in this way is anybody's guess. In my view it would not come to anything like $90 millions, the figure quoted as the estimated cost of the new airport, and I am advised that to get any sizeable sum it would be necessary to provide a reasonably short-term investment, probably of the order of ten years. I do not think a ten year loan could really be regarded as passing the cost on to posterity. Nor do I think that any such trustee
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investment would attract individuals. It might be of interest to honourable Members to know that when our Rehabilitation Loan was issued, only 3 per cent of it was taken up by private individuals. The holding by private individuals is now 2 per cent. My impression, for what it is worth, is that the proportion of people with spare cash here who prefer a safe 4 or 5 per cent to a speculative 10 per cent, or more, is very small indeed.
I presume it is realized that if any loan is raised in the form of Bearer Bonds it is a comparatively simple matter to avoid payment of Stamp Duty on transfer, and Estate Duty on death. In other words, by issuing Bearer Bonds, we would strike at our revenue. The real cost of such a loan would be in excess of the stated rate of interest. Finally, I might mention, as a matter of interest, that the annual cost of a loan of $150 millions at 6 per cent, redeemable in twenty years, reckoning interest on Sinking Fund at 3 per cent, would be $14,582,400.
No one regrets more than myself the heavy loss that we have sustained on rice, and I am grateful that honourable Members have realized the difficulties with which we are faced. I note that one Member feels that possibly not sufficient use has been made of the expert knowledge and experience of rice dealing which is available in the Colony, and although I must not be taken as subscribing to that view, I have impressed on the Director of Commerce & Industry the importance of this point. I might add that in the past few weeks the situation has tended somewhat to deteriorate, in that commercial rice is now competitive with Government rice, not only in quality, as it has always been, but also in price. The position is one which gives cause for some concern, for whilst on the one hand Government is anxious to keep down its losses, it is just as anxious to pass on to the public the benefit of lower prices.
The question of the working of the Business Regulation Ordinance has been raised. I understand from the Director of Commerce and Industry that the Ordinance has proved extremely difficult to administer, in view of the terms of some of the sections which tie the Department down with undue rigidity. One amendment was made whilst I was away on leave during the year, and I now learn that the Department is considering proposals for further amendments which will make administration a much simpler and smoother matter. I can assure Council that when
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these proposals come to me they will receive expeditious and sympathetic consideration. I hope that at some future date it may be possible for the Commissioner of Inland Revenue to take over the collection of all the revenue subheads under the Inland Revenue Head, but this must await an easing of the accommodation problem and an overtaking of the arrears of assessment of Profits Tax.
My honourable Friend Mr. Terry raised the question of the inadequacy of the facilities for passengers at Kai Tak. The matter had already been brought to my attention at the time he spoke, and I have requested the Director of Civil Aviation to forward to me a list of his requirements in order of priority. I can hold out no hope that, with the Salaries Commission proposals coming on, the necessary funds can be made available, but we shall see if anything can be done to ease the situation. The needs, the very real needs of the residents of the Colony must take precedence over the convenience of transients.
My honourable Friend Mr. Lo raised the question of excess stamp duty. The statement of fact which he has made relating to the history of this tax is substantially correct, and I confirm that it was not the intention of Government at the time, that a purchaser of Crown land at the present time should bear this extra three per cent duty when he re-sells. The idea was that an individual who had land before the war and sold it after the war at a very enhanced value, should contribute some part of his capital increase to revenue. I am not aware that the anomaly to which he has referred has in fact discouraged any new building, and I am given to understand that people who have erected buildings and who are erecting buildings at the present time, are able to recover their capital with a substanial profit in a very few years. Nevertheless, I shall look into the matter and to consider whether the difficulty which he has pointed out can be removed without affecting in too great a degree the revenue yield. With the present need for money to pay for all our commitments, I am sure that it will be realized that any substantial revenue that is given up will probably have to be made up elsewhere.
My honourable Friend Mr. Lo took up the point which I had made about the difficulties in the Rating and Valuation Department, and suggested that staff might be recruited locally to get on with the work. I have gone into the matter with the
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Commissioner, and as an interim measure three additional posts of Inspectors of Tenements have been added to the Estimates, as recommended in the report of the Select Committee. The Commissioner thinks that if he can fill these posts with suitable candidates soon, he should before the end of the next financial year be able to start rating one or two districts of the New Territories, in accordance with Government policy already decided. He informs me that the qualification which is considered most desirable for rating and valuation officers, that is, Chartered Surveyor, can be obtained locally, and he will as soon as possible put up proposals that a training grade should be established within his department to which promising candidates who wish to study might be appointed. This of course is a matter on which the Public Services Commission must advise, and I mention it as being relevant to the comments that have been made.
Before I leave this question of rating, I might mention that a new system of rating which has been advocated in certain quarters for some time has recently been adopted in Tanganyika. This rating system is based not on the rent at which any tenement might reasonably be expected to let, but on the unimproved value of the land, or in effect on the value of the site. I gather that the transition in Tanganyika went off very successfully. Our present rating system has the defect, if it is a defect, that the more a land-owner develops his land, the higher the rates and the more the Property Tax. Under the new system, the landowner pays his rates on the value of the land without buildings, and there is therefore a very definite inducement to him to develop the land to the maximum extent possible. I mention this as a matter of interest which honourable Members may care to look into and ponder. I have not given any great consideration to it myself, and I venture no opinion as to whether a system would be suitable for this Colony.
My honourable Friend Mr. Ruttonjee suggested that Government Agents, or what almost seem to be Trade Commissioners, should be appointed by this Government to various parts of the world, in order to stimulate exports, and that their cost might be met at least in part by a surcharge on the value of goods exported to those countries. I may say at once that Government does not favour anything in the form of an export duty, which is what the proposal for a surcharge amounts to. Neither in present circumstances does it consider that the appointment of
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Trade Commissioners resident abroad is desirable. What seems much more practical is that, as suggested by another honourable Member, an additional post should be provided in the Department of Commerce and Industry or elsewhere, and that the holder of this post should be available to proceed at short notice to any country in which either difficulties about admission of locally produced goods have arisen, or in which there is a possibility that trade with this Colony might be extended. The obvious difficulty in adopting this course is to find an officer of the right calibre; but the question will be given very careful consideration.
Before I conclude, I think I should make it known that the surplus of $171/2 millions which I forecast as the final figure in my speech three weeks ago, will now be reduced by a further $8 millions. Finance Committee has now decided that there should be appropriated out of our surplus a sum of $8 millions which will be used in due course for certain purposes which have arisen out of Hong Kong's defence commitments. This sum, although it will be devoted to expenditure on specific projects, is in fact a further contribution to Her Majesty's Government to the cost of reinforcing the Garrison.
I trust, Sir, that all the queries and comments by Unofficial Members have now been satisfactorily answered, and on behalf of Government I should like to express my appreciation of the very constructive criticisms without which no Government can give of its best. (Applause).
The question that the Bill be read a Second time was put and agreed to. The Bill was read a Second time.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY moved—
That the Report of the Select Committee to which was referred the Appropriation for 1954-55 Bill, 1954 together with the draft Estimates, be adopted.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
Council then went into Committee to consider the Bill clause by clause.
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Clause 1 was agreed to.
Clause 2.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY: —Sir: I rise to move that for the words "three hundred and eighty eight million two hundred and twenty seven thousand four hundred and twenty four" there should be substituted the words "three hundred and eighty eight million two hundred and sixty two thousand and fifty".
The clause, as amended, was agreed to.
Schedule.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY: —Sir: I move that the Schedule be amended in every detail, as recommended in the Report of the Select Committee, which has been approved.
The Schedule, as amended, was agreed to.
Preamble.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY: —Sir: I move that the Preamble be amended as proposed in the Report of the Select Committee.
The Preamble as amended was agreed to.
Enacting Clause and Title.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY: —Sir: I move that the Title be amended as proposed in the Report of the Select Committee.
The Enacting Clause and Title, as amended, were agreed to.
Council then resumed.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY reported that the Appropriation for 1954-55 Bill, 1954 had passed through Committee with amendments and moved the Third reading.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
The Bill was read a Third time and passed into law.
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RESOLUTION REGARDING ESTIMATES.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY moved the following resolution: —
Resolved that the Estimates of revenue and expenditure for the financial year 1954-55 together with the amendments proposed by the Select Committee be approved.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
LANDLORD AND TENANT (AMENDMENT) BILL, 1954.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the First reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to amend the Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, Chapter 255, and the Landlord and Tenant (Amendment) Ordinance, 1953".
He said: —Sir: There is nothing that I can usefully add to the statement of objects and reasons.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
The Bill was read a First time.
Objects and Reasons.
The "Objects and Reasons" for the Bill were stated as follows: —
This Bill seeks to make three amendments to the Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, Chapter 255, and one to the Landlord and Tenant (Amendment) Ordinance, 1953.
2. Subsection (3) of section 11 of Chapter 255 provides that the principal tenant must supply certain particulars to the landlord of the premises. The amendment to be made by clause 2 will require a principal tenant to furnish the date on which each of his sub-tenants first occupied the premises.
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3. The amendments contained in clauses 3 and 4 are for the purpose of curing minor drafting defects in sections 12 and 18 respectively of Chapter 255.
4. Section 29(1) of the Landlord and Tenant (Amendment) Ordinance, 1953 (Appendix to the 1953 Reprint), provides that principal tenants must give notice to sub-tenants of the first increase of rent by serving a copy of the certificate of such increase on the sub-tenant. Clause 5 provides for an alternative and simpler manner of service by posting the certificate or a copy of such certificate in a conspicuous place.
WILD BIRDS AND WILD MAMMALS PROTECTION
BILL, 1954.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the Second reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to make better provision for the conservation of wild birds and wild mammals; and for purposes connected therewith".
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
The Bill was read a Second time.
Council then went into Committee to consider the Bill clause by clause. Clauses 1 to 21 and Schedules 1 to 6 were agreed to.
Council then resumed.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL reported that the Wild Birds and Wild Mammals Protection Bill, 1954 had passed through Committee without amendment and moved the Third reading.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
The Bill was read a Third time and passed into law.
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PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND JUVENILES
(AMENDMENT) BILL, 1954.
THE SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS moved the Second reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to amend the Protection of Women and Juveniles Ordinance, 1951".
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
The Bill was read a Second time.
Council then went into Committee to consider the Bill clause by clause. Clauses 1 to 4 were agreed to.
Council then resumed.
THE SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS reported that the Protection of Women and Juveniles (Amendment) Bill, 1954 had passed through Committee without amendment and moved the Third reading.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
The Bill was read a Third time and passed into law.
POK OI HOSPITAL INCORPORATION BILL, 1954.
MR. DHUN J. RUTTONJEE moved the Second reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance for the incorporation of the Board of Directors of the Pok Oi Hospitals".
He said: —Your Excellency: In the unavoidable absence of my honourable Friend Dr. S. N. Chau, I rise to move the Second reading of this Bill.
MR. KWOK CHAN seconded.
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The question was put and agreed to.
The Bill was read a Second time.
Council then went into Committee to consider the Bill clause by clause. Clauses 1 to 6 and the Schedule were agreed to.
Council then resumed.
MR. DHUN J. RUTTONJEE reported that the Pok Oi Hospital Incorporation Bill, 1954 had passed through Committee without amendment and moved the Third reading.
MR. Kwok CHAN seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
The Bill was read a Third time and passed into law.
ADJOURNMENT.
H. E. THE GOVERNOR: —That concludes the business, gentlemen. When is it your pleasure that we shall meet again?
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL: —I suggest this day fortnight.
H. E. THE GOVERNOR: —Council will adjourn to this day fortnight.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.