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directing its affairs. And as I look around at so many distinguished men of goodwill and ability, the Council as a body cannot but exceed itself in the accomplishment of its purpose. This could be readily verified by the records of the Council. Only in few instances was the Council as a whole frustrated.

I was asked by friends whether I have any ideas about the administration of the Urban Services. I do and I have several opinions.

Voluminous and excellent ordinances relating to Urban Services and public health have been enacted and these are enforced through a body of inspectors. These inspectors have a tremendous responsibility and I believe the standard on which their employment is based should be more than an academic one. In short, I believe they should be chosen by an examination on ethics in collaboration with, say, the department of education, in addition to their usual standard of admission; or in the selection of the candidates, a report of their past school records be obtained with emphasis on service as a measure of character and honesty; these considerations to be made in addition to the usual academic examination. The health inspectors should be affirmed in no uncertain term in their function to help the public. I believe this to be a basic step in the proper administration of the Urban Services. Government is the science which aims toward the ideal society. Unless Government inspectors are chosen on ethical grounds, the best of ordinances or measures will not yield the results for which they are intended. I would like to clarify that this suggestion in no way lessens our appreciation of the many dedicated men in senior positions who are doing an excellent job in the Health and Urban Services.

Hong Kong is growing at such a phenomenal rate that eventually some kind of decentralization in organization may be necessary for the sake of efficiency. For the time being, I venture to suggest that each member of the Council may consider specializing in the affairs of a different district or ward in collaboration with such organization as the Kaifong. This step will bring the problems of each district closer to the attention of Council and the Council in turn will heed the needs of the district more readily.

There is a thought on the Hawkers problem as I was advised that I am on the Hawkers Select Committee. I could see that the Hawkers problem affects the right of the individual to make a living. It also involves the point about a system which works toward the ultimate welfare of the community. I am of the opinion that in the Hawkers control unit there should be a rehabilitation section to divert them into more productive form of work.

In other words, if those people could be employed in industries, which at present are suffering from a labour shortage, their continuous conversion into unproductive middlemen should be discouraged and their absorption into productive industries should be encouraged. The modus operandi has to be worked out and this might be done in collaboration with the Labour Department.

With these remarks, I have pleasure in supporting the motion before the Council.

Mr. A. de O. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, I should like this Council to recognize the presence of our former Senior Unofficial Member who has seen fit to come in for even more punishment today. That he should have spent so much time with us is, indeed, a sign of the high regard in which he holds this Council. It is hardly necessary for me to echo the welcome which has been expressed to our new members as well as for the return of Mr. MCDOUALL. There is, however, one fact which emerges from the present composition of this Council which we would do well to notice. There are no less than five men on this side of the table and one on the other, who subscribe to the same objects. This cuts across party lines and even transcends the divisions existing between the Official and the Unofficial composition of this Council. I was most impressed with the many statements, some of them rather provocative, which were made in the course of today's discussion. One thought which sprang to my mind, which might perhaps have occurred to my friend Mr. BERNACCHI but which, now that he has mellowed, he has not seen fit to mention, and that is this: we might conceivably solve many of the ills which he sees in the composition of this Council by my suggesting that we should elect our own Official members. That, Mr. Chairman, might certainly be a step in the right direction. These Official members would then never be the object of any complaint on the part of the elected members.

I made a plea in the past for the very poor Hong Kong resident whose plight was, and still is, in many cases, far worse than the circumstances of the refugee squatter. He has so far been passed over in the general concern for priorities. Obsessed as Hong Kong has been with the resettlement of squatters for good and worthy reasons, the local resident of longer standing has been relegated to the background. For all that, his condition is pitiful and he is often terribly exploited by the principal tenants of all those old tenements which are little better than hovels for, if he does not live in the lanes and back-alleys, he stays in cubicles or stair-cases.

For this reason, I am reassured by the Government declaration that it intends to set aside a portion of the accommodation to be found in the improved type of resettlement buildings for the local population in slum areas required for re-development, in tenements condemned for demolition, etc. Nevertheless, for a problem of such magnitude, the impact will not be great unless the number so housed each year can be substantially increased. Such a programme, which pays for itself, must be accelerated, if it is to benefit the lowest income groups as soon as possible.

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