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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
matters mentioned above as well as those proposed by my fellow members, especially in the field of the expansion of this Council's powers and scope of work. Only then, will there be a bold stride forward towards our objective of security and prosperity.
With these few remarks, Mr. Chairman, I have the pleasure in supporting your motion.
(At the suggestion of the Chairman, a brief recess was held at this point).
MR. WILFRED S. B. WONG: -Mr. Chairman, in my speech in this Council last year, I touched on a number of problems.
This year I would like to state my views about administration, one phase of the Hawkers problem, and the problem of multi-storey buildings.
On the problem of administration, disturbing reports are being received about the malpractices of certain inspectors of the Urban Services. I am of the opinion that this matter deserves the full attention and highest consideration of the Members of this Council. I believe some members of this Council have expressed their willingness to serve on higher Councils of Government. I submit that, unless this Council can wipe out the malpractices of certain Urban Services inspectors, members of this Council would have failed in their functions to set one department in order and it would be futile for any of our members to attempt setting matters in order on an even larger scale.
I would like to state again that, although there are many dedicated men in senior positions who are fully aware of the meaning of public service and are doing their specific work excellently, there is need of instituting measures whereby the system of inspectors taking advantage of their position for personal gain to the detriment of public good be eliminated.
Now, regulations are instituted for the purpose of protecting public health. If an inspector takes advantage of his position to forego the implementation of regulations for a consideration and if he does not assist the food purveyor in conforming to the spirit or letter of the regulations, he would be defeating the purpose of the public health ordinance.
Last year, I mentioned that inspectors should be chosen on ethical standard at the beginning and that they be given examinations on ethics. Secondly, a report of their past school records be obtained with emphasis on service as a measure of character and honesty. These should be the basic conditions of their employment.
There are those who are of the opinion that no amount of discussion on ethics would be of help to dishonest persons. I would say that we must strike hard on the basic principle of morality which is nothing more than the principle of reciprocity. The inspectors must understand that they should treat the food purveyors as they would like to be treated if the situation were reversed. Whether it is the Christian creed of doing unto others as you would have others do unto you, or the Confucian Code of not doing unto others what you would not have others do unto you, is immaterial but the important thing is that the inspectors must understand the principle of reciprocity as the ethical code of life. Therefore, I propose:
(1) That the future candidates for public health inspectors be given a thorough examination on ethics before they are accepted.
(2) That present inspectors be thoroughly screened and, if there are reasonable doubts of their not functioning properly, that they be transferred to routine posts where they will have nothing to do with the public.
I strongly commend that the Urban Services Department which operates under the direction of so many councillors should be the department to perfect their organization.
Last year, in commenting on the Hawkers problem, I have expressed a hope that the less productive middlemen-the hawkers should be diverted into more productive industries. In this respect I would state that while there is control of licences for the fixed pitch and food stall hawkers, there is no control for the pedlar hawkers.
As you know, licences have been issued up to March 29, 1961 to 9,395 fixed pitch, 1,341 food stalls and 11,455 pedlar hawkers.
The last category of Hawkers is increasing by leaps and bounds every year and I should certainly propose that control be exercised on the application of licence for pedlar hawkers with the view of redirecting them into constructive channels by rehabilitating them into productive industries. This could be accomplished through the good offices of the Labour Department. Their numbers could be restricted by confining the qualification of applicants to welfare or more distressed cases. This could be done through the Social Welfare Department as they have admirably done with the cases of the fixed pitch and food stall hawkers.
My third point concerns the control and regulations in the multi-storey buildings. Whereas in the old days the problems of public health and hygiene are horizontal in nature, now these problems are both horizontal and vertical. Great minds run in the same channel, Mr. Chairman. Dr. Raymond LEE and Dr. P. F. Woo have taken some wind away from this problem, but I should like to go into this problem with greater emphasis and detail.
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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Page 20
Page 21
11
Page 20 of 110
24
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
matters mentioned above as well as those proposed by my fellow mem- bers, especially in the field of the expansion of this Council's powers and scope of work. Only then, will there be a bold stride forward towards our objective of security and prosperity.
With these few remarks, Mr. Chairman, I have the pleasure in supporting your motion.
(At the suggestion of the Chairman, a brief recess was held at this point).
MR. WILFRED S. B. WONG: -Mr. Chairman, in my speech in this Council last year, I touched on a number of problems.
This year I would like to state my views about administration, one phase of the Hawkers problem, and the problem of multi-storey buildings.
On the problem of administration, disturbing reports are being received about the malpractices of certain inspectors of the Urban Services. I am of the opinion that this matter deserves the full attention and highest consideration of the Members of this Council. I believe some members of this Council have expressed their willingness to serve on higher Councils of Government. I submit that, unless this Council can wipe out the malpractices of certain Urban Services inspectors, members of this Council would have failed in their functions to set one department in order and it would be futile for any of our members to attempt setting matters in order on an even larger scale.
I would like to state again that, although there are many dedicated men in senior positions who are fully aware of the meaning of public service and are doing their specific work excellently, there is need of instituting measures whereby the system of inspectors taking advantage of their position for personal gain to the detriment of public good be eliminated.
Now, regulations are instituted for the purpose of protecting public health. If an inspector takes advantage of his position to forego the implementation of regulations for a consideration and if he does not assist the food purveyor in conforming to the spirit or letter of the regulations, he would be defeating the purpose of the public health ordinance.
Last year, I mentioned that inspectors should be chosen on ethical standard at the beginning and that they be given examinations on ethics. Secondly, a report of their past school records be obtained with emphasis on service as a measure of character and honesty. These should be the basic conditions of their employment.
There are those who are of the opinion that no amount of discus- sion on ethics would be of help to dishonest persons. I would say that we must strike hard on the basic principle of morality which is nothing
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
25
more than the principle of reciprocity. The inspectors must understand that they should treat the food purveyors as they would like to be treated if the situation were reversed. Whether it is the Christian creed of doing unto others as you would have others do unto you, or the Confucian Code of not doing unto others what you would not have others do unto you, is immaterial but the important thing is that the inspectors must understand the principle of reciprocity as the ethical code of life. Therefore, I propose:·
(1) That the future candidates for public health inspectors be given a thorough examination on ethics before they are accepted.
(2) That present inspectors be thoroughly screened and, if there are reasonable doubts of their not functioning properly, that they be transferred to routine posts where they will have nothing to do with the public.
I strongly commend that the Urban Services Depart- ment which operates under the direction of so many councillors should be the department to perfect their organization.
Last year, in commenting on the Hawkers problem, I have expressed a hope that the less productive middlemen-the hawkers should be diverted into more productive industries. In this respect I would state that while there is control of licences for the fixed pitch and food stall hawkers, there is no control for the pedlar hawkers.
As you know, licences have been issued up to March 29, 1961 to 9,395 fixed pitch, 1,341 food stalls and 11,455 pedlar hawkers.
The last category of Hawkers is increasing by leaps and bounds every year and I should certainly propose that control be exercised on the application of licence for pedlar hawkers with the view of redirecting them into constructive channels by rehabilitating them into productive industries. This could be accomplished through the good offices of the Labour Department. Their numbers could be restricted by confining the qualification of applicants to welfare or more distressed cases. This could be done through the Social Welfare Department as they have admirably done with the cases of the fixed pitch and food stall hawkers.
My third point concerns the control and regulations in the multi- storey buildings. Whereas in the old days the problems of public health and hygiene are horizontal in nature, now these problems are both horizontal and vertical. Great minds run in the same channel, Mr. Chairman. Dr. Raymond LEE and Dr. P. F. Woo have taken some wind away from this problem, but I should like to go into this problem with greater emphasis and detail.
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No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.