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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

(6) Chinese Recreation Ground Committee,

(7) Chinese Permanent Cemetery Committee,

(8) Marketing Advisory Board,

(9) Board of Licensing Justices,

(10) Public Transport Advisory Committee,

(11) Labour Advisory Board,

(12) and any other Board or Committee advisory or otherwise which may hereafter be appointed by Government and which relates directly or in- directly to urban matters."

He said: Mr. Chairman, the work of this Council and the execution of its statutory duties have expanded during the last few years to a degree that now embraces in some measure or other practically every walk of life in the Colony. So long, however, as the Council remains an urban as opposed to a Municipal Council certain parts of its normal civic obligations will remain under the control of other Departments of Government. It is my view, however, that that need not necessarily mean that the performance of duties outside the scope of the Council but which infringe upon its own duties need be kept so separated as to prevent adequate liaison. A typical example of how such liaison can be achieved is the present position in respect to the Traffic Advisory Committee which, although traffic as such still comes under the Commissioner of Police, has an Official representative of this Council sitting as a member of the Traffic Advisory Committee. To give but a few other examples, the Chairman of the Urban Council in a personal capacity already sits as a member of the Town Planning Board- it is but an easy and appropriate step for that personal capacity to be converted into an official one as representative of the Council. Some years ago,

it was considered that the work of the Council was so closely associated with matters appertaining to social wel- fare that the Social Welfare Officer should be a member of Council, yet the Urban Council is totally unrepresented on the Social Welfare Advisory Committee. Similarly, the Council is very much concerned with the question of the health of the school children, and members of Council, particularly in their other capacity as members of the Housing Authority, are even directly concerned with the provision of school accommodation, yet the Council has no representative on the Education Board.

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The Boards or Committees that I have specifically selected for consideration in this Motion are all those which directly or in- directly affect urban matters. And in answer to a query that was addressed to us by the Chairman of the Council, I should like to make it quite clear that the precedent on which this Motion is based is the present relationship between the Council and the Traffic Advisory Committee, and we agree that the affairs of these other Boards would only be raised in Council to the extent that traffic matters are now raised in Council by way of questions to our representative on the Traffic Advisory Committee and in- structions to our representative to place a particular matter or view before that Committee.

Representatives of various Government Departments have been invited to attend the meetings of the Law Revision Select Committee of which I am Chairman so as to ascertain their views and comments on our proposed legislation. Thus we have had representatives from the Labour Department, the Social Welfare Office, the Commissioner of Police, the Fire Brigade, the Director of Marketing, the Director of Marine, and others. This has taught us the enormous advantage to be gained from co-ordination and liaison, and if this Motion is passed and accepted by Government the Council will achieve a proper measure of liaison with a number of other Boards and Committees whose work affects urban matters. I am sure that the final result will be one of the greatest advantage both to the Council and to the other Boards and Committees themselves.

MR. BERNACCHI seconded.

He said: May I particularly take up those last words of Mr. Woo's, namely that these recommendations, if implemented, will be of great value not only to the Council but to the various boards and committees themselves. Most, if not all of the boards and committees that are listed in the Motion could derive con- siderable benefit from the presence of a representative of the Council. I am sure, for instance, that guidance as to the policy of the Council in respect to restaurants would be of considerable assistance to the Board of Licensing Justices; the Marketing Advisory Board is obviously most interested in knowing our own policies in respect to markets, hawking and the like; and I am sure that we can also make very useful contributions to the work of the Labour Advisory Board and the other boards mentioned.

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