HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 327
OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Meeting of 26th May, 1965
PRESENT
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR (PRESIDENT)
SIR DAVID CLIVE CROSBIE TRENCH, KCMG, MC
THE HONOURABLE GEOFFREY CADZOW HAMILTON
ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY
THE HONOURABLE MAURICE HEENAN, QC
ATTORNEY GENERAL
THE HONOURABLE JOHN CRICHTON McDOUALL
SECRETARY FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS
THE HONOURABLE JOHN JAMES COWPERTHWAITE, CMG, OBE FINANCIAL SECRETARY
THE HONOURABLE KENNETH STRATHMORE KINGHORN DIRECTOR OF URBAN SERVICES
THE HONOURABLE ALEC MICHAEL JOHN WRIGHT
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS
DR THE HONOURABLE TENG PIN-HUI, OBE
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
THE HONOURABLE WILLIAM DAVID GREGG
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
HONOURABLE PATRICK CARDINALL MASON SEDGWICK COMMISSIONER OF LABOUR
THE HONOURABLE DAVID RONALD HOLMES, CBE, MC, ED DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
THE HONOURABLE JOHN PHILIP ASERAPPA
DISTRICT COMMISSIONER NEW TERRITORIES
THE HONOURABLE DHUN JEHANGIR RUTTONJEE, CBE
THE HONOURABLE FUNG PING-FAN, OBE
THE HONOURABLE KWAN CHO-YIU, CBE
THE HONOURABLE KAN YUET-KEUNG, OBE
THE HONOURABLE SIDNEY SAMUEL GORDON
THE HONOURABLE LI FOOK-SHU, OBE
THE HONOURABLE FUNG HON-CHU
THE HONOURABLE TANG PING-YUAN
THE HONOURABLE TSE YU-CHUEN, OBE
THE HONOURABLE KENNETH ALBERT WATSON, OBE
THE HONOURABLE WOO PAK-CHUEN, OBE
THE HONOURABLE JAMES DICKSON LEACH, OBE
THE HONOURABLE SZETO WAI
MR ANDREW McDONALD CHAPMAN (Deputy Clerk of Councils)
ABSENT
HIS EXCELLENCY LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR DENIS STUART SCOTT O’CONNOR, KBE, CB
COMMANDER BRITISH FORCES
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MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 12th/13th May 1965 were confirmed.
PAPERS
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by Command of His Excellency the Governor, laid upon the table the following papers: —
Subject LN No
Report on the Financing of Universities in Hong Kong.
Summary Offences Ordinance.
Summary Offences (Licences and Fees) (Amendment)
(No 2) Regulations 1965 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Stamp Ordinance.
Stamp (Bank Authorization) Order 1965 . . . . . . . . . . 73 Legal Practitioners Ordinance 1964.
Students (Amendment) Rules 1965 …………………….. . . . . 74
He said:—Sir, included in these papers is a Report prepared by Sir Edward HALE on “The Financing of Universities in Hong Kong”.
Sir Edward HALE, who was Secretary to the University Grants Committee in the United Kingdom from 1951 to 1957, visited Hong Kong in January this year on the invitation of Government. He was asked to advise whether a committee similar to the University Grants Committee in Britain should be established here for the purposes of advising Government on the financial needs of our universities, and of allocating between them provision made by Government towards meeting those needs. He was also asked to advise on an appropriate constitution, composition, terms of reference, and method of operation for the committee; and the staffing, functions and procedures of the committee’s secretariat.
Such advice was felt to be necessary, amongst other more general reasons, because of the situation created by the establishment of the Chinese University in 1963 and the consequent need to divide Government’s financial contribution to university education fairly between the old and the new; and the urgent need to prepare a further development plan for the University of Hong Kong following the completion of its present 7-year plan in 1966.
The recommendations made in the report are summarized in the final paragraph. Briefly, Sir, they advocate the establishment in Hong Kong of an expert and impartial University Grants Committee which will advise Government on the financial needs of university education
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in Hong Kong and its development; and which will apportion finances between the universities. The Committee will be appointed for 5 years in the first instance, and will be composed of a Chairman, who will be a Hong Kong resident, and between 7 and 9 members. The majority of these will be academic members who will not be members of the universities in Hong Kong. Up to 3 non-academic local residents will also be on the Committee. Initially grants will be assessed for the 3-yearear period 1967 -1970, but a longer period will be preferable later on.
The two universities agree with the recommendations made in this report and the Governor in Council has ordered that they should be implemented as soon as possible. Action is now in train to select a chairman and Members for the Committee and to recruit a secretary. We were fortunate in enlisting the assistance of Dr LOACH, the registrar of Leeds University, while he was in the Colony recently, in the preparation of suitable circulars and tables for use by the University Grants Committee.
I feel, Sir, that the establishment of this Committee will provide a valuable impetus to the development of university education in Hong Kong and will ensure that such development takes place along the lines most suitable to our local conditions. I should like to conclude by expressing my appreciation of the speed and efficiency with which Sir Edward HALE prepared this valuable Report.
EDUCATION POLICY
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR: —We now resume the debate on the White Paper on Education Policy. The question is that the Paper on Education Policy be adopted as a basis for future action and the resolution is open to debate.
MR P. C. M. SEDGWICK moved that the Resolution before Council be amended as set forth in the Order of Business.
Proposed Amendment
Insert at the end of the resolution the words:
“It being understood that this resolution does not imply the taking of any decision on salaries and terms of service or on any other matter on which Government has expressed reservations in Appendix I to the White Paper.”
He said: —Sir, the purpose of this amendment is to meet misgivings expressed by Government Staff Associations that adoption of the resolution it now stands might appear in some way to imply acceptance in
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principle by Government of changes in the salaries and terms of service of Government teaching grades. This is of course not the case, and paragraph 25 of the White Paper was intended to make it clear (as I think it does) that Government is not yet in a position to express any opinion on these matters until full consultation with the staff concerned has taken place; and it is not seeking any expression of opinion from this Council at this stage. However, the Staff Associations are most anxious that the resolution on the White Paper should make this point clear, and the amendment now proposed achieves this end.
MR A. M. J. WRIGHT seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR:—The question now is that the White Paper on Education Policy be adopted as a basis for future action, it being understood that this resolution does not imply the taking of any decision on salaries and terms of service or on any other matter on which Government has expressed reservations in Appendix I to the White Paper. The resolution is open to debate.
MR DHUN RUTTONJEE moved, under Standing Order 14(3), that the debate on the resolution before Council be adjourned until 23rd June, 1965.
MR Y K. KAN seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR:—The debate is accordingly adjourned until the 23rd June, 1965.
SCHEDULE OF WRITE-OFFS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1964-65
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY moved the following resolution:—
Resolved that the Write-offs for the Financial Year 1964-65, as set out in the Schedule, be approved.
He said:—Your Excellency, the Schedule to the resolution comprises those write-offs approved by Finance Committee during the last Financial Year which require the covering approval of this Council. There are no items of special significance in the Schedule.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
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RADIATION ORDINANCE 1957
DR TENG PIN-HUI moved the following resolution: —
Resolved, pursuant to section 22 of the Radiation Ordinance 1957, that the Radiation Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule) Order 1965, made by the Radiation Board under section 22 of the said Ordinance on the 26th day of April, 1965, be approved.
He said:—On the 26th April 1965 in my capacity as Chairman of the Radiation Board I signed an Order subject to the approval of this Council that the Schedule to the Radiation Ordinance 1957 be amended by the inclusion, in paragraph (1), of thorium compounds in addition to thorium itself, among the substances to which the provisions of the Ordinance apply. Although thorium and its compounds are not used extensively in the Colony, the inclusion of the compounds of thorium will bring the Schedule to the Radiation Ordinance in line with the Schedule to the Radio Active Minerals Ordinance, Chapter 145.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
MISCELLANEOUS LICENCES (AMENDMENT) BILL 1965
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the Second reading of a Bill intilled “An Ordinance to amend the Miscellaneous Licences Ordinance”.
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 5 were agreed to.
The Council then resumed.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL reported that the Miscellaneous Licences (Amendment) Bill 1965, had passed through Committee without amendment and moved the Third reading.
T HE 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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CHARITIES (LAND ACQUISITION) (AMENDMENT) BILL 1965
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the Second reading of a Bill intituled “An Ordinance to amend the Charities (Land Acquisition) Ordinance 1958.”
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 6 were agreed to.
Council then resumed.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL reported that the Charities (Land Acquisition) (Amendment) Bill 1965 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.
“STAR” FERRY COMPANY (SERVICE) (AMENDMENT)
BILL 1965
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the Second reading of a Bill intituled “An Ordinance further to amend the “Star” Ferry Company (Service) 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 6 were agreed to.
Council then resumed.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL reported that the “Star” Ferry Company (Service) (Amendment) Bill 1965 had passed through Committee without| amendment and moved the Third reading.
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THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
The question was put and agreed to.
The Bill was read a Third time and passed into law.
FERRIES (AMENDMENT) BILL 1965
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the Second reading of a Bill intitulled “An Ordinance further to amend the Ferries Ordinance.”
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. Clause 1.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL : —I rise to move that clause 1 be amended as set forth in the paper before honourable Members.
Proposed Amendment
Clause
1 Leave out the clause and substitute therefor the following—
“Short title
and
commencement
1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Ferries (Amendment) Ordinance 1965, and shall come into operation on the 1st day of June, 1965.”.
Clause 1, as amended, was agreed to.
Clause 2 was agreed to.
Council then resumed.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL reported that the Ferries (Amendment) Bill 1965 had passed through Committee with one 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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ADJOURNMENT
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR: —That concludes the business for today, gentlemen. The next meeting of the Council will be held on the 9th June.
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