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and on the sand and there must have been a further 100 further out at sea and in the immediate vicinity of the various Association Bathing Pavilions. This means that there are probably 125 unlicensed craft operating in this area. There seems good reason to believe that Triad Society Members have found these illegal boats a lucrative source of income.
Against such numbers of boats and the thuggish tactics of the owners there is little that the staff can do by direct action and arrest. It is necessary to have recourse to Police assistance and this has recently proved most effective.
It is difficult for me adequately to stress the hazards to life and limb arising from careless management of these craft, though the position has been somewhat improved recently by the Director of Marine's insistence on lifelines and bilge keels as a prerequisite for licensing. At Lai Chi Kok in particular they are used to ferry bathers—frequently non-swimmers to Siu Lai Wan and beaches further north, an area plagued by very strong currents. On the afternoon of the 20th, Mr. ALEXANDER and I saw one craft with six occupants as against the regulation 2.
The need for urgent action is fully recognized by the Department and we should, in fact, dearly love to abolish all the illegal boats—lock stock and barrel. They are nothing but a headache to the Department. The operators most certainly do not seem to appreciate their moral responsibilities towards the general public. I cannot however make any satisfactory progress without the firm support and cooperation of all users of the Beaches in question. I would therefore like to take this opportunity of appealing to all persons.
firstly, not to hire any of these boats even the licensed ones if they cannot swim
secondly, not to contravene the regulations by rowing these boats in designated bathing areas
thirdly, not to overload the craft and not to patronize the Marine Pak Pais, which are not only illegal but also do not possess the stability and safety devices of licensed craft.
fourthly,
In the meantime the provision of further safety measures, notably demarcated areas within which licensed boats may operate and insistence on patrol boats and lifeguards to be supplied by the licensees, has recently been agreed with the Director of Marine and brought by him to the attention of the licensees.
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107
DR. BELL: With regard to these beaches where you have lines of buoys across to prevent boats from getting in, is it possible, when pleasure craft are outside and wish to row small children to the beach, for certain areas to be demarcated for that purpose?
CHAIRMAN:—I should like to say, Dr. BELL, that a fairly detailed proposal will be laid before the Urban Amenities Select Committee at their next meeting—I understand it takes place on the 10th. There are quite detailed proposals for laying out bathing areas with demarcating lines.
MR. A. DE O. SALES asked the following question:
"(a) Is there any reason why this Council should not be made the licensing authority for bars and dancing-halls?
(b) Having regard to the completely unsatisfactory situation in Tsim Sha Tsui, will the Chairman please make adequate representations to Government to consider seriously the transfer of such licensing responsibility to this Council?"
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
"These questions refer to the licensing of bars and dance halls. You ask whether there is a reason why the Council is not the licensing authority. The reason is that Section 54 of the Urban Council Ordinance limits the duties of the Council to the exercise of control within the area allotted to it over all matters in respect of which powers are given it by Ordinance. Any decision as to whether or not the Council should be made the licensing authority is therefore one for the Legislature and not for the Urban Council. This applies both to bars which are licensed by a largely unofficial Board of Licensing Justices of the Peace and to dance halls which are licensed by the Commissioner of Police.
As regards dance halls, these are dispersed throughout the urban area and Tsim Sha Tsui cannot be considered the chief offender. They are difficult to control but that is a problem encountered throughout the world and not merely in Hong Kong.
I am not in a position to make any comment on allegations about the situation in Tsim Sha Tsui or elsewhere. But I invite your attention to the fact that Section 53 of the
Page 61 of 118
Page 61 of 118
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
and on the sand and there must have been a further 100 further out at sea and in the immediate vicinity of the various Association Bathing Pavilions. This means that there are probably 125 unlicensed craft operating in this area. There seems good reason to believe that Triad Society Members have found these illegal boats a lucra- tive source of income.
Against such numbers of boats and the thuggish tactics of the owners there is little that the staff can do by direct action and arrest. It is necessary to have recourse to Police assistance and this has recently proved most effective.
It is difficult for me adequately to stress the hazards to life and limb arising from careless management of these craft, though the position has been somewhat improved recently by the Director of Marine's insistence on lifelines and bilge keels as a prerequisite for licensing. At Lai Chi Kok in particular they are used to ferry bathers-fre- quently non-swimmers to Siu Lai Wan and beaches further north, an area plagued by very strong currents. On the afternoon of the 20th, Mr. ALEXANDER and I saw one craft with six occupants as against the regulation 2. The need for urgent action is fully recognized by the Depart- ment and we should, in fact, dearly love to abolish all the illegal boats-lock stock and barrel. They are nothing but a headache to the Department. The operators most certainly do not seem to appreciate their moral respon- sibilities towards the general public. I cannot however make any satisfactory progress without the firm support and cooperation of all users of the Beaches in question. I would therefore like to take this opportunity of appeal- ing to all persons.
firstly,
not to hire any of these boats even the licensed ones if they cannot swim
secondly, not to contravene the regulations by row- ing these boats in designated bathing
thirdly, fourthly,
areas
not to overload the craft and not to patronize the Marine Pak Pais, which are not only illegal but also do not possess the stability and safety devices of licensed craft.
In the meantime the provision of further safety measures, notably demarcated areas within which licensed boats may operate and insistence on patrol boats and lifeguards
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
107
to be supplied by the licensees, has recently been agreed with the Director of Marine and brought by him to the attention of the licensees."
DR. BELL: With regard to these beaches where you have lines of buoys across to prevent boats from getting in, is it possible, when pleasure craft are outside and wish to row small children to the beach, for certain areas to be demarcated for that purpose?
CHAIRMAN:—I should like to say, Dr. BELL, that a fairly detailed proposal will be laid before the Urban Amenities Select Committee at their next meeting-I understand it takes place on the 10th. There are quite detailed proposals for laying out bathing areas with demarcating lines.
MR. A. DE O. SALES asked the following question:
"(a) Is there any reason why this Council should not be made
the licensing authority for bars and dancing-halls?
(b) Having regard to the completely unsatisfactory situation in Tsim Sha Tsui, will the Chairman please make adequate representations to Government to consider seriously the transfer of such licensing responsibility to this Council?"
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows: -
"These questions refer to the licensing of bars and dance halls. You ask whether there is a reason why the Council is not the licensing authority. The reason is that Section 54 of the Urban Council Ordinance limits the duties of the Council to the exercise of control within the area allotted to it over all matters in respect of which powers are given it by Ordinance. Any decision as to whether or not the Council should be made the licensing authority is therefore one for the Legislature and not for the Urban Council. This applies both to bars which are licensed by a largely unofficial Board of Licensing Justices of the Peace and to dance halls which are licensed by the Commissioner of Police.
As regards dance halls, these are dispersed throughout the urban area and Tsim Sha Tsui cannot be considered the chief offender. They are difficult to control but that is a problem encountered throughout the world and not merely in Hong Kong.
I am not in a position to make any comment on allegations about the situation in Tsim Sha Tsui or elsewhere. But
I invite your attention to the fact that Section 53 of the
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