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qualifications. For the present, immediate steps should be initiated to simplify the procedure for the registration of qualified voters. increase in number of elected members in the Council should be made possible without further delay.

In the meantime the scope of work in the Council should be en- larged and widened to such an extent that it would include education, health and medical care, public works, public utilities and so forth as are dealt with in any municipal council in the United Kingdom. I am happy indeed to note that you, Sir, have already, in your annual report, referred to some of our aims and made recommendations to Govern- ment for gradual enlargement of the Council's scope and extension of its representation on various other public bodies. I hope that we shall be able to achieve these objectives, immediately.

The last point to which I wish to draw your attention is the fact that there is a tendency to ignore the requirement of Chinese in all Government notices to the public. While we do emphasize the impor- tance of the English language, we must not neglect that of Chinese. I remember that even before the self-Government of Singapore there were four languages, English, Chinese, Malay and Indian being used officially both in writing and in speeches in the Government bodies of the then Straits Settlement simply because there were large numbers of the people using each of them. Since the population of Hong Kong is mainly Chinese, I would advocate that the use of Chinese as the second language be officially and openly permitted in the Council.

With these few remarks, Mr. Chairman, I have much pleasure in supporting your motion.

MR. WILFRED S. B. WONG: Mr. Chairman, this is the fourth year of my term of office in this Council. In our midst there are many "Post-Graduates". If they are not already doctors of Philosophy they have certainly been doctored in Sociology. There are two freshmen, may their freshness be the catalytic agent in bringing this Council to new heights of achievement. I wish them well. Personally I feel as a senior during the last year of college although “commencement" is still ahead. Reminiscing I would say that if we should fail to make our points clear and carry out the functions of this Council through the Committees in the years of a term, the trust that has been placed in us to render service to the public would not be fulfilled.

Less than a month ago, an editorial in a morning paper contended that only the Elected Urban Councillors have to fulfil a role broader than the narrow confines of the Urban Council itself. In fact, it was implied that the Elected Representatives would serve more genuinely the interests of the public. While I do not agree that the Appointed Members are serving the interests of the public in any lesser measure

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qualitatively or quantitatively, I do agree on the need to arouse civic consciousness in Hong Kong. This is evidenced by the very poor turn- out at the recent Urban Council elections.

The practical citizen of Hong Kong should find no difficulty in realizing that the problem in Hong Kong is administrative and not political. So much could be accomplished by judicious judgement, careful deliberation of problems, and proper supervision and imple- mentation of policy decisions through the committees to make the daily life of the citizens rational and progressive. In view of the geometric progression of duties to which a modern Government is subjected, I am in favour of welcoming non-members of the Council to join the Select Committees. They should be specialists or experts recognized by an overwhelming majority of the Members of the Select Committees.

This suggestion should not be construed as a reflection on the ability of the staff. We have a most able senior staff of the highest standards in the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department. Nor is it a reflection on the ability of the Members themselves. It is simply because of the complexities and multifarious duties of modern Government in an extraordinarily expanding social economy that specialists are required to advise on certain matters. The Members will continue to choose the best ends to be accomplished and the use of the most appropriate means to accomplish those ends. Especially in matters of public hygiene and health education, the public could play a much greater part in eliminating pests, refuse-throwing into the streets from buildings, and spitting. The Council could well enlist the support of civic organizations. In the spheres of improvement of urban amenities and offensive trades and slaughterhouses, specialists could be co-opted to good advantage.

To promote civic consciousness, I would advocate the formation of an Ad Hoc Committee. This Committee should undertake a detailed study of ways and means to make the public of Hong Kong more interested in the governing of themselves. Especially they should study the methods of increasing the electoral roll and bringing the electoral roll up-to-date. The names of quite a few persons who have left the Colony from one to two years have appeared on the present roll and we should see to it that this does not happen again in 1965.

It is realized that the electoral roll corresponds to names and addresses on records of Identity Cards at the Registration of Persons Office. But many people leave Hong Kong with their Identity Cards and without notifying the Registration of Persons Office. Perhaps another way can be found to bring the roll up-to-date some time before the next election.

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