1962 — Page 13

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Page 13 of 150

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

Playgrounds and other Urban Amenities

Often as this matter has been brought up and discussed in this Council, it is of such great consequence to the lives of tens of thousands of children, who must now play in the streets, if they play at all, that it bears repeating on every public occasion. Members are only too conscious of the inadequacy of playgrounds and have pressed hard for more facilities for the recreation of children in the heavily populated districts.

Some headway has been made. Still, not enough is being done. Yes, Mr. Chairman, there are many plans and projects. Often we are told there is no money; then, when there is, we are told at times: there is no staff.

There is a block vote of a million dollars to be spent each year on small projects and improvements to urban amenities. It is no secret that some of that money is invariably left over because the Council's plans cannot be carried out by the Public Works Department. Con- sequently, we have asked that these jobs be given to private architects and engineers so that the public may not continue to be deprived of such amenities for longer than necessary.

Kowloon

For years on end we have raised, in and out of committee, many issues concerning the betterment of living conditions in Kowloon. Mr. Chairman, if cumulative frustration could move mountains, I dare say there would have been none left by now in Kowloon. Still, we who live there can be said to have a long list of grievances calling for re- dress, as it were. With a greater population, now said to be paying more rates, surely the time has come for action to be taken to make good the deficiencies which have existed for so long. This Council has asked for car-parks and post offices, parks and playgrounds, markets and slaughter-houses, and so on. We have long called for a decision on the lay-out of the reclamation at Hung Hom and also on the railway- station at Tsim Sha Tsui.

However, apart from promises, all we seem to get in Kowloon is a sustained demonstration of road-digging technique. There cannot possibly be a city anywhere else in the world where roads are dug up as often and kept open as long. Nevertheless, Mr. Chairman, I will persist, not to catalogue our requirements, as they are far too well known, but to plead for action. Yes, for deeds, not words. I suppose my voice may not even be heard as the Roads Office is drilling harder than ever just as I started to mention Kowloon. They would now like us to believe that they are digging away their own frustration.

Housing

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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Outstandingly successful as has been the Resettlement programme whereby 451,665 people have been accommodated, the census reveals that there are still about a million people without even this minimum- standard housing. Therefore, we must press on: more estates must be built of a gradually rising standard of accommodation.

The new Government low-cost housing scheme, which is really a low income housing scheme, calculated to close the gap between the Resettlement and the Housing Authority Estates, would seem to be the solution that we have been searching for to house those hundreds of thousands who are not eligible for resettlement, do not qualify for the Authority's estates and yet cannot be served by private enterprise for economic reasons. These are the people whose abject living conditions must be improved as speedily as Government is capable of doing with- out throwing off balance the orderly development of Hong Kong's social services.

At the same time, all possible assistance ought to be given to the Hong Kong Housing Authority to look after that class of the population whose income level precludes their paying the rents charged for the kind of accommodation warranted by their level of education and the useful functions they perform in our community. All Members must be greatly reassured by the statement made last week by the Honourable Colonial Secretary that more funds would be made available even though the terms have still to be made known.

Mr. Chairman, if it is claimed that Government resources must necessarily limit the extent of assistance to public housing and other social services, then the whole question of public finance should be re- examined and set against the transcending needs of the people for better housing, more schools, etc. The public has begun to wonder whether all possibilities of raising funds for public requirements have been studied. Once it is established that there is no waste and that public funds are used by Government to best advantage, is there, Mr. Chairman, a well-founded reason for not exploring other means for raising revenue to cover rising expenditure that can be justified? Let us not be faint of heart. It is out of character with Hong Kong.

May I say in conclusion that, if we the Unofficial Members appear critical of Government Departments, we are nevertheless not without appreciation of the good work done by our colleagues, the Heads of such Departments. They have played their part to make the Urban Council a factor in the life of the community. So, Mr. Chairman, we would really be most disconsolate if the Official Members were ever to think otherwise. It is indeed much to be regretted that we have to make such timely and incisive suggestions as to how their Departments could perhaps work better, but we do so most reluctantly and only because the greater interest of the community demands that we do so.