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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
One of the finest assets of the Colony is the number and beauty of its beaches. In the summer it claims more patrons than any other place of recreation. It is a pity that officialdom should draw a line of distinction between the Urban Council and the District Commissioner of the New Territories in the administration of these summer resorts. In view of the vast numbers of people from the urban area going to the beaches in the New Territories I feel the time has come for this unrealistic policy to be revised for more beaches to be developed for the benefit of people living in Kowloon and the New Territories. A very fine beach can be developed in Tsing Lung Tau by building a mole to render the water safe for the bathers. All the beaches in the New Territories should be placed under the control of the Urban Council because the Council has better machinery to run and to improve its amenities than any other body. If the Council were in charge of these beaches I am sure, Mr. Chairman, you will agree that it would not allow the rocks from widening of the Castle Peak Road from 14 miles stone onwards to spoil one of its popular beaches.
Whilst there is a Colonial Cemetery for the European section of the community and cemeteries for various religious groups I can't understand why there is no comparable public cemetery for the Chinese population. I know there is a permanent Chinese cemetery in Sandy Ridge which is near the Chinese border and in the military prohibited zone, and the two Chinese permanent Cemeteries in Aberdeen and Tsuen Wan but these are in no sense public cemeteries as they cater for a special group. Land scarcity has always been given as an overriding feeble excuse for the continuation of this policy. I am sure I have the Honourable the Secretary for Chinese Affairs' agreement that if we try hard enough we could be able to find land for this purpose. I think the time has come for us to put up to Government the case to correct this anomaly, and I hope I have Members' support in this important matter.
With these observations and reservations, Mr. Chairman, I give my full support to the policy embodied in today's motion now before Council which is the subject matter for today's debate. (Applause).
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
21
COL. J. D. CLAGUE:- Members are aware of the changes which have occurred this year in the form of this debate as a result of the adoption of the proposal put forward last year by Dr. Gosano namely we have before us a record of achievements attained and statement of intentions covering the work the relevant Select Committees hope to carry out in 1958.
Dr. Gosano's hope was that members who agreed with the Council's policy as recorded in the Chairman's statement would not need to do more than express his or her approval. If on the other hand any member disapproves of any item he is free to say so. The object, Mr. Chairman, was to avoid repetition and platitudes. It will be interesting to see to what extent Dr. Gosano's objectives have been fulfilled. From a personal point of view, already I sense a very big improvement.
For my part, Mr. Chairman, I had only one criticism and that was, that I regretted that in the passage on Resettlement there is no date by which it is hoped to clear all fire victims and squatters from the streets of Kowloon. I realize the Commissioner cannot legislate for fires or other calamities but excluding this contingency I would have felt happier if we had announced a date by which the Kowloon streets will be cleared of squatters. I note that Mr. Li Yiu Bor has sought clarification of this point by way of a question, and the reply, Sir, is entirely satisfactory. The very considerable amount of work carried out on Playgrounds and Parks during 1957 and the heavy programme due for completion in the current year give grounds I suggest for considerable satisfaction. Here I fear I part company with Mr. Li Yiu Bor with whom I seem to be agreeing up to now.
The delay in deciding on plans for a new abattoir has been the subject of complaints for some years, and as the current Chairman of the Slaughter Houses Select Committee I am glad to say that considerable progress has been made during the past three months. Members will notice that it was eventually decided to build two abattoirs-one at Kennedy Town and one at Cheung Sha Wan-instead of one large abattoir at Kennedy Town and if the delay has done nothing else it has I suggest resulted in the final answer being more practicable. I believe it would have been wrong in view of the development which has occurred and is occurring in Kowloon to concentrate everything at Kennedy Town. You will
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20
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
One of the finest assets of the Colony is the number and beauty of its beaches. In the summer it claims more patrons than any other place of recreation. It is a pity that officialdom should draw a line of distinction between the Urban Council and the District Commissioner of the New Territories in the administration of these summer resorts. In view of the vast numbers of people from the urban area going to the beaches in the New Territories I feel the time has come for this unrealistic policy to be revised for more beaches to be developed for the benefit of people living in Kowloon and the New Territories. A very fine beach can be developed in Tsing Lung Tau by building a mole to render the water safe for the bathers. All the beaches in the New Territories should be placed under the control of the Urban Council because the Council has better machinery to run and to improve its amenities than any other body. If the Council were in charge of these beaches I am sure, Mr. Chairman, you will agree that it would not allow the rocks from widening of the Castle Peak Road from 14 miles stone onwards to spoil one of its popular beaches.
Whilst there is a Colonial Cemetery for the European section of the community and cemeteries for various religious groups I can't understand why there is no comparable public cemetery for the Chinese population. I know there is a permanent Chinese cemetery in Sandy Ridge which is near the Chinese border and in the military prohibited zone, and the two Chinese permanent Cemeteries in Aberdeen and Tsuen Wan but these are in no sense public cemeteries as they cater for a special group. Land scarcity has always been given as an overriding feeble excuse for the continuation of this policy. I am sure I have the Honourable the Secretary for Chinese Affairs' agreement that if we try hard enough we could be able to find land for this purpose. I think
the time has come for us to put up to Government the case to correct this anomaly, and I hope I have Members' support in this important matter.
With these observations and reservations, Mr. Chairman, I give my full support to the policy embodied in today's motion now before Council which is the subject matter for today's debate. (Applause).
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
21
COL. J. D. CLAGUE:-Members are aware of the changes which have occurred this year in the form of this debate as a result of the adoption of the proposal put forward last year by Dr. Gosano namely we have before us a record of achievements attained and statement of intentions covering the work the relevant Select Committees hope to carry out in 1958.
Dr. Gosano's hope was that members who agreed with the Council's policy as recorded in the Chairman's statement would not need to do more than express his or her approval. If on the other hand any member disapproves of any item he is free to say The object, Mr. Chairman, was to avoid repetition and platitudes. It will be interesting to see to what extent Dr. Gosano's objectives have been fulfilled. From a personal point of view, already I sense a very big improvement.
SO.
For my part, Mr. Chairman, I had only one criticism and that was, that I regretted that in the passage on Resettlement there is no date by which it is hoped to clear all fire victims and squatters from the streets of Kowloon. I realize the Commissioner cannot legislate for fires or other calamities but excluding this contingency I would have felt happier if we had announced a date by which the Kowloon streets will be cleared of squatters. I note that Mr. Li Yiu Bor has sought clarification of this point by way of a question, and the reply, Sir, is entirely satisfactory. The very considerable amount of work carried out on Playgrounds and Parks during 1957 and the heavy programme due for completion in the current year give grounds I suggest for considerable satisfaction. Here I fear I part company with Mr. Li Yiu Bor with whom I seem to be agreeing up to now.
The delay in deciding on plans for a new abattoir has been the subject of complaints for some years, and as the current Chairman of the Slaughter Houses Select Committee I am glad to say that considerable progress has been made during the past three months. Members will notice that it was eventually decided to build two abattoirs-one at Kennedy Town and one at Cheung Sha Wan-instead of one large abattoir at Kennedy Town and if the delay has done nothing else it has I suggest resulted in the final answer being more practicable. I believe it would have been wrong in view of the development which has occurred and is occurring in Kowloon to concentrate everything at Kennedy Town. You will
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