HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 21
OFFICIAL REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS
Meeting of 14th February 1962
PRESENT:
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR (PRESIDENT)
SIR ROBERT BROWN BLACK, GCMG, OBE
HIS EXCELLENCY LIEUTENANT-GENERAL REGINALD HACKETT HEWETSON, CB, CBE, DSO
COMMANDER BRITISH FORCES
THE HONOURABLE CLAUDE BRAMALL BURGESS, CMG, OBE
COLONIAL SECRETARY
THE HONOURABLE MAURICE HEENAN
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL
THE HONOURABLE PATRICK CARDINALL MASON SEDGWICK
ACTING SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS
THE HONOURABLE JOHN JAMES COWPERTHWAITE, OBE
FINANCIAL SECRETARY
THE HONOURABLE ALLAN INGLIS
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS
DR THE HONOURABLE DAVID JAMES MASTERTON MACKENZIE, CMG, OBE DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
THE HONOURABLE KENNETH STRATHMORE KINGHORN
DIRECTOR OF URBAN SERVICES
THE HONOURABLE PETER DONOHUE
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
THE HONOURABLE KWOK CHAN, OBE
THE HONOURABLE HUGH DAVID MACEWEN BARTON, MBE
THE HONOURABLE DHUN JEHANGIR RUTTONJEE, OBE
THE HONOURABLE FUNG PING-FAN, OBE
THE HONOURABLE RICHARD CHARLES LEE, OBE
THE HONOURABLE KWAN CHO-YIU, OBE
THE HONOURABLE KAN YUET-KEUNG, OBE
THE HONOURABLE WILLIAM CHARLES GODDARD KNOWLES
MR ANDREW MCDONALD CHAPMAN (Deputy Clerk of Councils)
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MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 31st January, 1962, were confirmed.
PAPERS
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by Command of His Excellency the Governor, laid upon the table the following papers: —
Subject GN No
Sessional Paper, 1962: —
No. 8—Annual Report by the Registrar General for the
year 1960-61.
Registration of Persons Ordinance, 1960.
Registration of Persons (Re-registration) (No. 3) Order, 1962 ........ A 10
QUESTIONS
MR DHUN J. RUTTONJEE, pursuant to notice, asked the following question: —
Mention has been made from time to time in this Council and in other public statements of the proposal to establish a School of Dentistry in Hong Kong. Can Government now state what steps have been taken to implement this proposal, and also give an indication of the estimated cost and facilities for the training of dentists outside Hong Kong under the existing Dental Scholarship Scheme?
DR D. J. M. MACKENZIE replied as follows: —
Your Excellency, the proposal to establish a School of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong has been gone into fully by Government in conjunction with the Vice-Chancellor of the University and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. A site has been provisionally ear-marked for a Dental Hospital next to the Sai Ying Pun Polyclinic. The University has made provision in the planning of the new Pre-Clinical Building for the accommodation of up to 25 Dental Students each year during the first two pre-clinical years of a graduate course in Dentistry. Schedules of accommodation and equipment for a Dental Hospital have been prepared in consultation with the University, with the Chairman of the Hong Kong Dental Society Dental
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School Committee, with the Government Senior Dental Specialist and with the Institute of Dental Surgery of the University of London.
The site provisionally reserved for the Dental Hospital is at present occupied by C Block of the Old Government Civil Hospital. The services now provided in that block will have to be re-provisioned and a detailed examination of costs by the Government Departments concerned has shown that a provisional order of cost of construction, based on the areas in the schedule of accommodation, will be in the neighbourhood of four million dollars. The cost of equipment for a modern Dental Hospital of the size planned will be in the region of 3½ million dollars. Taking into account land values and site formation, the total capital cost will be approximately 8½ million dollars.
The total recurrent cost including academic and non-academic staff, running expenses and other maintenance, but excluding standing charges is estimated to be 1.7 million dollars of which about $230,000 could be recovered in fees.
The Government Dental Scholarship Scheme is at present costing Government $240,000 each year for the support of 37 students who are undergoing training in Australian Universities. There is an intake of 7 students each year which is the maximum number the Australian Universities can accept at the present time. This means that we may expect an average of 7 graduates to return to dental practice in Hong Kong each year for the next five years at least. These newly qualified dentists are under an obligation to work in the Colony for not less than four years two of which will be in Government service if so required.
In view of the estimated capital and recurrent costs entailed in the establishment of a School of Dentistry in Hong Kong the priority of this project has been submitted to a very careful examination in relation to the funds available and the need for other medical facilities, particularly for general hospital beds. Government has decided regretfully that an expenditure of this order entailed in launching a School of Dentistry is not warranted at the present time. However, Honourable Members are assured that the priority to be given to a Dental School will be re-examined fully in two years' time in the light of the economic situation and the progress of other developments in the medical and health field.
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GOVERNMENT LOTTERIES BILL, 1962
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY moved the First reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to authorize and control the promotion and conduct of Government Lotteries and matters ancillary thereto."
He said: Your Excellency, in his budget speech last year my predecessor said that draft legislation was being prepared to make it possible to hold Government lotteries and that it was proposed to hold an experimental lottery in August. In the event we found that for various reasons it was difficult to make arrangements in the short time available and decided that rather than run the risk of failure with a makeshift lottery we would postpone its introduction until this year. We accordingly set up a Working Party to draw up a plan of operation and advise on the legislative provisions necessary to give effect to them. The Bill before Council is the result.
It is a fairly simple and straightforward Bill, as most of the detailed operating provisions have been relegated to Rules to be made by the Governor. I might make specific mention of three provisions only.
Firstly the Lotteries are to be managed by a Government Lotteries Management Committee. Although the original Working Party was composed wholly of civil servants it is hoped that members of the public also will be prepared to accept nomination to the permanent Committee.
Secondly, Clause 6(1) fixes prize money at 60% of the proceeds of sale of tickets. This is rather more generous, I believe, than the present Jockey Club practice but there is also provision in Clause 6(3) for the proportion to be varied by resolution of this Council, should it be thought expedient to do so.
Thirdly, and this is probably the most important point, the use to be made of the net proceeds. I should like to admit frankly that I do look to this lottery as a means of reducing the burden of compulsory taxation which might otherwise have to be imposed, although I do not expect a very significant contribution from this source in relation to total demand on public resources. But this is not, in many people's eyes, an adequate justification by itself. It has therefore been clearly stated in Clause 6(1) of the Bill that the proceeds "shall be paid into the general revenue of the Colony and allocated to expenditure for the purposes of social welfare". It will probably be asked why, if this is the intention, it is not carried out in a more evident manner by paying the proceeds into a Social Welfare Fund. I should indeed have been very happy to recommend this had I felt confident that social welfare activities could be wholly financed from such a fund. But I do not
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expect that the lottery will produce much more than $2 million a year, in its first year or two at least, whereas this year we have spent over $4 million in subventions to private welfare organizations, not counting the work undertaken directly by the Social Welfare Department. If then there were a separate fund we would find ourselves in the position of having to allocate funds to some of these organizations from two different public sources, quite apart from their other sources of funds. This would be very awkward, and even embarrassing, to work in practice. It is therefore proposed to pay the proceeds into general revenue but to ask the Director of Social Welfare and the Social Welfare Advisory Committee to take the availability of these additional funds into account when proffering advice, as they do annually, on the appropriate subventions to be made available to social welfare organizations or for any other social welfare project. And finally, in order to demonstrate publicly that I am not cheating by failing to spend the proceeds of lotteries on social welfare, Clause 6(2) provides that certain information be published annually in the Gazette from which it will be possible to see clearly the relationship between the proceeds of the lottery and the development of social welfare services.
The original Working Party is at present operating as a provisional Management Committee and, if the Bill is passed, it is hoped that the first tickets will be on sale by the end of May and that the first draw can be held early in July. This has been made possible by the generous co-operation of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club who have put their facilities at Government's disposal.
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: —
The purpose of this Bill is to seek authority for the promotion and conduct of Government lotteries and to provide for the proper control and conduct thereof.
MERCHANT SHIPPING (CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCY (MASTERS AND MATES) RULES) (VALIDATION AND COMMENCEMENT) BILL, 1962
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the Second reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to remove doubt as to the validity of certain rules purporting to be made in exercise of the powers conferred by the Merchant Shipping Ordinance, 1953."
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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, and the Preamble were agreed to.
Council then resumed.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL reported that the Merchant Shipping (Certificates of Competency (Masters and Mates) Rules) (Validation and Commencement) Bill, 1962, 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.
DANGEROUS DRUGS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 1962
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the Second reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to amend the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, Chapter 134."
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 and 2 were agreed to.
Council then resumed.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL reported that the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill, 1962, 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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LEGAL PRACTITIONERS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 1962
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the Second reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to amend the Legal Practitioners Ordinance, Chapter 159."
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 and 2 were agreed to.
Council then resumed.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL reported that the Legal Practitioners (Amendment) Bill, 1962, 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.
UNION CHURCH INCORPORATION BILL, 1962
MR W. C. G. KNOWLES moved the Second reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to make amended provision for the incorporation of the Trustees of the Union Church in Hong Kong."
MR FUNG PING-FAN 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 were agreed to.
Council then resumed.
MR W. C. G. KNOWLES reported that the Union Church Incorporation Bill, 1962, had passed through Committee without amendment and moved the Third reading.
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MR FUNG PING-FAN seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
The Bill was read a Third time and passed into law.
ADJOURNMENT
HE THE GOVERNOR: —Well, gentlemen, that concludes the business for today. When is it your pleasure that we should meet again?
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL: —I suggest this day two weeks, Sir.
HE THE GOVERNOR: —Council stands adjourned until this day two weeks.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.