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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Bath-houses and Latrines: We seem to have no programme for bath-houses and latrines for the next five years, apart from the existing priority list. As a first step, I suggest that this Council consult the Kaifongs as to the requirements in each district.
Hawkers and Markets: We should anticipate that within the next twelve months the Hawker Control Unit will be in full operation.
City Cleansing: There should be a much larger number of litter bins as already mentioned by Dr. Bell, placed in strategic places all over the urban areas. Instead of a few hundreds, we should have thousands of them.
I have heard complaints that the design of the litter bins should be improved so that people would find it easier to throw their rubbish in the bins from a distance of 3 or 4 feet rather than having to go right up to the bin to do so. A suggestion that has been made is that Council should consider using coloured street-lamp litter containers. Why not invite the local plastic and metal factories to submit designs for such containers? We might be able to establish a new item for export, apart from helping to keep the city clean.
Cemeteries and Crematoria: We should look forward to having the new Cape Collinson Public Cemetery ready by 1961 and another public cemetery somewhere in Kowloon by 1963.
Law Revision: The new Public Health and Urban Services Bill passed by this Council has been in the hands of Government for many months. I had intended to say a bit about this, but my fellow member on the Appointed side has said enough. If he is forced into the position to move a motion of protest, he will have the full support of the Civic Elected Members. I would strongly urge, though, that both the Bill and the By-laws should be translated into Chinese and made available to the public at reasonable cost.
Departmental Buildings: For some considerable time the Council has been seeking the completion of two new depots at Sai Yee Street in Kowloon and at Whitfield in Hong Kong. In the Statement of Progress and Policy Report it is stated that progress during the past year has been rather slow in securing approval for the specifications of these two depots. I would propose that based on information at hand, we should set a deadline for the completion of these two depots by 1961.
City Hall: The completion of the City Hall is scheduled for the autumn of 1961. Let us see if we can finish it before then.
Resettlement: I am satisfied that the resettlement programme is now proceeding as rapidly as possible. However, I would urge that in new resettlement estates there should be more schools, libraries, welfare facilities, flatted factories and community centres. Mr. U Tat Chee and Mr. Ernest Wong have considered the necessity for having more flatted factories in resettlement estates, and I strongly support them on that. I have just received, Mr. Chairman, some information on how Ireland is putting up factories to encourage more employment, and I shall pass this information to you as soon as possible. I believe we can be much more flexible in our approach towards setting up flatted factories in resettlement estates. I have a number of ideas which I shall put forward at the next meeting of the Resettlement Policy Committee.
Weights and Measures: About ten years ago, this Council examined the question of control of weights and measures. No one knows to what extent the public is being defrauded by inadequate weights and measures, and I propose that this Council seek the authority to set up a Weights and Measures Section.
Elected Members: In view of the growing population and widening scope of activities of Council, I would ask Government to consider increasing the number of elected members by 1961 from eight to twelve members. I was wondering, Mr. Chairman, what was the purpose of putting these name cards in front of each Councillor: either you might forget the names of Councillors, or whether it was an indication that we might have more members in future.
Council's Name: It is time too, that the name of this Council be changed to Municipal Council, instead of the anachronistic name of Urban Council, and I would ask that the Chairman take immediate steps to implement this suggestion.
Local Men: In the next few years more local men will be taking over the higher administrative posts in the Urban Services Department. It is essential that a training programme be drawn up so that they will be fully trained and qualified when they take up such higher posts.
I was reading the papers this morning, Mr. Chairman, and my attention has been drawn to the fact that today is World Health Day. The theme that has been chosen for this year is Mental Illness and Mental Health in the World Today. I am not suggesting it is something for our Urban Councillors to improve themselves on, but there is an indirect relationship between the work of this Council and the theme of this year's World Health Day. If our environmental hygiene and sanitation can improve, I think that there can be an improvement and a reduction of the existing social ills that exist in the Colony, such as drug addiction which is so prevalent here. I think it is proper that this Council should mark the World Health Day.
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 27 of 107
T
Page 26 of 107
36
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Bath-houses and Latrines: We seem to have no programme for bath-houses and latrines for the next five years, apart from the existing priority list. As a first step, I suggest that this Council consult the Kaifongs as to the requirements in each district.
Hawkers and Markets: We should anticipate that within the next twelve months the Hawker Control Unit will be in full operation.
City Cleansing: There should be a much larger number of litter bins as already mentioned by Dr. Bell, placed in strategic places all over the urban areas. Instead of a few hundreds, we should have thousands of them.
I have heard complaints that the design of the litter bins should be improved so that people would find it easier to throw their rubbish in the bins from a distance of 3 or 4 feet rather than having to go right up to the bin to do so. A suggestion that has been made is that Council should consider using coloured street-lamp litter containers. Why not invite the local plastic and metal factories to submit designs for such containers? We might be able to establish a new item for export, apart from helping to keep the city clean.
Cemeteries and Crematoria : We should look forward to having the new Cape Collinson Public Cemetery ready by 1961 and another public cemetery somewhere in Kowloon by 1963.
Law Revision: The new Public Health and Urban Services Bill passed by this Council has been in the hands of Government for many months. I had intended to say a bit about this, but my fellow member on the Appointed side has said enough. If he is forced into the posi- tion to move a motion of protest, he will have the full support of the Civic Elected Members. I would strongly urge, though, that both the Bill and the By-laws should be translated into Chinese and made available to the public at reasonable cost.
Departmental Buildings: For some considerable time the Council has been seeking the completion of two new depots at Sai Yee Street in Kowloon and at Whitfield in Hong Kong. In the Statement of Progress and Policy Report it is stated that progress during the past year has been rather slow in securing approval for the specifications of these two depots. I would propose that based on information at hand, we should set a dead-line for the completion of these two depots by 1961.
City Hall: The completion of the City Hall is scheduled for the autumn of 1961. Let us see if we can finish it before then.
Resettlement: I am satisfied that the resettlement programme is now proceeding as rapidly as possible. However, I would urge that in new resettlement estates there should be more schools, libraries, welfare
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
37
facilities, flatted factories and community centres. Mr. U Tat Chee and Mr. Ernest Wong have considered the necessity for having more flatted factories in resettlement estates, and I strongly support them on that. I have just received, Mr. Chairman, some information on how Ireland is putting up factories to encourage more employment, and I shall pass this information to you as soon as possible. I believe we can be much more flexible in our approach towards setting up flatted factories in resettlement estates. I have a number of ideas which I shall put forward at the next meeting of the Resettlement Policy Committee.
Weights and Measures: About ten years ago, this Council examined the question of control of weights and measures.
No one knows to what extent the public is being defrauded by inadequate weights and measures, and I propose that this Council seek the authority to set up a Weights and Measures Section.
Elected Members: In view of the growing population and widen- ing scope of activities of Council, I would ask Government to consider increasing the number of elected members by 1961 from eight to twelve members. I was wondering, Mr. Chairman, what was the purpose of putting these name cards in front of each Councillor: either you might forget the names of Councillors, or whether it was an indication that we might have more members in future.
Council's Name: It is time too, that the name of this Council be changed to Municipal Council, instead of the anachronistic name of Urban Council, and I would ask that the Chairman take immediate steps to implement this suggestion.
Local Men: In the next few years more local men will be taking over the higher administrative posts in the Urban Services Department. It is essential that a training programme be drawn up so that they will be fully trained and qualified when they take up such higher posts.
I was reading the papers this morning, Mr. Chairman, and my attention has been drawn to the fact that today is World Health Day. The theme that has been chosen for this year is Mental Illness and Mental Health in the World Today. I am not suggesting it is something for our Urban Councillors to improve themselves on, but there is an indirect relationship between the work of this Council and the theme of this year's World Health Day. If our environmental hygiene and sanitation can improve, I think that there can be an improvement and a reduction of the existing social ills that exist in the Colony, such as drug addiction which is so prevalent here. I think it is proper that this Council should mark the World Health Day.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.