1962-05-02 — Page 1

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 179

OFFICIAL REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS

Meeting of 2nd May 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, QC

ATTORNEY GENERAL

THE HONOURABLE JOHN CRICHTON MCDOUALL

SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS

THE HONOURABLE JOHN JAMES COWPERTHWAITE, OBE

FINANCIAL SECRETARY

THE HONOURABLE ALLAN JNGLIS

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 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 ALASTAIR TREVOR CLARK (Clerk of Councils)

ABSENT:

THE HONOURABLE HUGH DAVID MACEWEN BARTON, MBE

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 180

MINUTES

The minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 18th April, 1962 were confirmed.

PAPERS

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by Command of His Excellency the Governor, laid upon the table the following paper: —

Subject GN No

Registration of Persons Ordinance, 1960.

Registration of Persons (Re-registration) (No. 7) Order, 1962 A 38

COMMUNITY RELIEF TRUST FUND BILL, 1962

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY moved the First reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to make provision for the establishment of a trust fund to be known as the Community Relief Trust Fund and for the due administration thereof and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid."

He said: Sir, as stated in the "Objects and Reasons" this measure is designed to achieve two objects. First, it is intended to establish a single fund, to be vested in the Director of Social Welfare, from which assistance may be given to the victims of such disasters as fires, floods and typhoons: the administration of this fund is entrusted to a committee, comprising three Official and two Unofficial Members. Second, the Bill provides that the outstanding balances which now stand to the credit of various existing funds, raised for particular purposes in the past, shall be transferred to this new fund.

The people of Hong Kong have shown themselves to be generous givers in the many natural emergencies which have beset the Colony in recent years, and which—in the course of nature—are unhappily likely to recur.

This Bill, therefore, deals not only with the past, but with the future. It will provide, in times of natural disaster, a means of channelling aid for the relief of those in immediate distress; and it establishes suitable machinery for administering any donations which may be forthcoming for this relief.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL seconded.

The question was put and agreed to.

The Bill was read a First time.

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Objects and Reasons

The "Objects and Reasons" for the Bill were stated as follows: —

As appears from the Preamble to this Bill, various sums of money have been donated by members of the public for the charitable purposes therein referred to. After distributing the greater part of the sums so donated various balances remain. In some cases, the funds have been intermixed and have been applied for charitable purposes similar to those for which the funds were donated. At the time of an appeal for donations to assist the victims of Typhoon Mary, the Government announced the establishment of a fund to be known as The Community Relief Fund for the relief of victims of disasters and calamities and sums have been donated to that Fund. It is now considered that a single fund should be established to take over the balances of the funds referred to in the Preamble and to accept any other sums that may be donated which fund shall be vested in the Director of Social Welfare Incorporated as trustee to be applied for the objects emunerated in clause 4 and to be known as the Community Relief Trust Fund. This Bill accordingly seeks to establish the fund and to provide for the management of the fund.

HONG KONG ROYAL NAVAL RESERVE (GENERAL SERVICE) (AMENDMENT) BILL, 1962

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the First reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to amend the Hong Kong Royal Naval Reserve (General Service) Ordinance, 195l."

He said: Sir, the Schedule to the Hong Kong Royal Naval Reserve (General Service) Ordinance, 1951 provides for certain modifications in the application to the Hong Kong Royal Naval Reserve of the Naval Discipline Act which was in force when the said Ordinance was enacted in 1951. A new Naval Discipline Act, 1957 came into force in Britain on the 1st January, 1959 in which sections are rearranged and re-numbered with the result that the numbers which appear in the present Schedule to the Ordinance no longer correspond with the numbers of the sections in the present Naval Discipline Act. Accordingly, the main purpose of this Bill is to repeal and replace the present Schedule to the Ordinance with a Schedule which takes account of the new Naval Discipline Act, 1957, particularly in regard to the numbers of its sections. This purpose is effected by clause 3 of the Bill. In addition the new schedule introduces the following minor changes in the application to Hong Kong of the new Naval Discipline Act—

in paragraph 3, provision is made for a maximum fine of one week's pay except when the Naval Reserve is called out (the Naval Discipline Act, 1957 provides for a fine of one month's pay but

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 182

members of the Hong Kong Royal Naval Reserve rarely do more than one week's continuous training);

under paragraph 4, section 101 of the 1957 Act is made to apply to members of the Hong Kong Royal Naval Reserve only when they are called out and serving outside the Colony. This section is concerned with the enforcement of maintenance payments.

Finally, opportunity has been taken to cure an omission from the Hong Kong Royal Naval Reserve (Change of Style) Ordinance, 1959, by making provision in clause 2 of this Bill for the deletion of the word "volunteer" from section 6 of the principal Ordinance.

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 Naval Discipline Act, 1957, repealed and replaced the former Naval Discipline Act. The Schedule to the principal Ordinance then became difficult to apply owing to a complete change of the numbers of sections. This Bill seeks to amend the Schedule so as to make its provisions more readily understood. It also takes the opportunity of deleting the word "Volunteer" from the title Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in section 6, which deletion was omitted from the Hong Kong Royal Naval Reserve (Change of Style) Ordinance, 1959.

ADJOURNMENT

HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR: —Well, gentlemen, that concludes the business for to-day. When is it your pleasure that we should meet again?

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL: —I suggest this day two weeks, Sir.

HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR: —Council stands adjourned until this day two weeks.