HB12
Page 208 of 312
392.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
are dangerous or because the landlord has got an exemption order on the excuse of rebuilding, usually for his personal gain. Government must wake up to the point that this problem is reaching dangerous limits and (as I said before this afternoon), I accuse Government of bowing to the wishes of the landlords in general and to the speculators in particular. The only way to solve this problem is by a Colony-wide plan to re-develop, block by block, offering the tenants of one block of old houses, immediate accommodation in a new block at rentals they can afford.
Then again, Hong Kong's population is largely a young population and education in Hong Kong must be re-vitalized. Let the Government announce now that they aim to give free primary school education within 5 years. A former Deputy Director of Education told me that the Education Department has a scheme for free primary education already worked out. At the other end, we need more facilities for higher education, and more support, financial and otherwise, for private schools, so long as Government has to rely upon private schools for educating future citizens of Hong Kong.
Equally important are more medical facilities, more hospitals, more Government subsidized clinics, and why indeed does the Committee on Higher and Superscale Salaries recommend that the Director of Medical and Health Services should get less than the Director of Commerce and Industry or the Commissioner of Police? (Cries of Hear, Hear) In Hong Kong, I consider that the Director of Medical and Health Services has a fearsome responsibility and whoever is the Director should at least get the same pay as the Colonial Secretary. Indeed, in some ways, he has very much more responsibility. I know that a Committee of the Chinese Medical Association prepared, a long time ago, a scheme which a family can join by paying a reasonable sum per annum and which gave them free medical attention when they were sick. I know, because I was their legal advisor. What has happened to this scheme? Lost in some Government file recess? The school health scheme is commendable but my doctor friends tell me that there are still several important things to be ironed out before it is really workable.
Lastly, the cost of living. If the average Hong Kong citizens could obtain housing at reasonable rent, could obtain free primary education for their children and a subsidy for those children clever enough to go on higher, and, a medical service scheme which provides insurance against times of sickness, the cost of living would come down, but at present it is soaring up. I accuse Government of bowing to big business interests in not stabilizing the cost of essential commodities. Hong Kong is a laissez-faire state in the early 19th century style and the trade unions do not help the situation at all, most of them being influenced from outside Hong Kong and playing politics rather than looking after the welfare of their members.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
393
I call upon Government to spend the enormous surpluses accumulated year after year after year on improving the housing, educational and medical services! To get the Inland Revenue Ordinance into correct form so that we have income tax instead of a set of different taxes and so that every man is taxed on his total income. When they have done all this, I for one will not object to paying more taxes if Government will offer more services.
Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
MR. K. A. WATSON: -Mr. Chairman, seven years ago, in the first Urban Council debate in which I took part, I spoke of the wide range of its activities. I said that it appeared to be concerned with almost every aspect of life in this bustling, noisy, cheerful, appallingly overcrowded rabbit-warren of a city.
Cleansing. Unfortunately, during this past summer it has been a very smelly rabbit-warren of a city, a city set not in a silver sea but in a sea of garbage. The blame has been attributed to many causes, the typhoons, unexpected breakdowns of vehicles, the low rates of pay and the subsequent shortage of labourers. But much of it was due, I am afraid, to lack of foresight and a refusal by Government to take action quickly enough. Much of the garbage which spoilt our beaches came from the Gin Drinkers Bay refuse dump. For years we have warned Government what would happen if it was not closed off with a bund. In the 1961 public debate-34 years ago, John MARDEN appealed to the requisite authority to build the other half of the breakwater, but a deaf ear was turned to this and to other appeals. The nuisance continued, until this summer it became utterly unbearable, and Hong Kong achieved fame throughout the world for its filthy harbour. (Laughter). If any private organization had caused such a wide-spread nuisance, it would have been prosecuted immediately and rightly so, but Government is a law unto itself.
As for the garbage in the streets, I think the cause was not so much that the cleansing force was 10% under strength but that, under pressure from the financial authorities, the Urban Services Department has been, during the last few years, much too modest in its requests for more labour and for more vehicles. If proof is required, consider the fact that last year we asked for only 40 extra labourers in the Cleansing Division, whereas this year we have asked for 574. Detailed justifications have been given for each of these extra posts and I hope that they will all be approved and that none of them will be turned down by some anonymous functionary (if I may use Mr. SALES's description) in the Colonial Secretariat.
Page 208 of 312
392.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
393
HB12
Page 208 of 312
392.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
are dangerous or because the landlord has got an exemption order on the excuse of rebuilding, usually for his personal gain. Government must wake up to the point that this problem is reaching dangerous limits and (as I said before this afternoon), I accuse Government of bowing to the wishes of the landlords in general and to the speculators in particular. The only way to solve this problem is by a Colony-wide plan to re-develop, block by block, offering the tenants of one block of old houses, immediate accommodation in a new block at rentals they can afford.
Then again, Hong Kong's population is largely a young population and education in Hong Kong must be re-vitalized. Let the Government announce now that they aim to give free primary school education within 5 years. A former Deputy Director of Education told me that the Education Department has a scheme for free primary education already worked out. At the other end, we need more facilities for higher education, and more support, financial and otherwise, for private schools, so long as Government has to rely upon private schools for educating future citizens of Hong Kong.
Equally important are more medical facilities, more hospitals, more Government subsidized clinics, and why indeed does the Committee on Higher and Superscale Salaries recommend that the Director of Medical and Health Services should get less than the Director of Commerce and Industry or the Commissioner of Police? (Cries of Hear, Hear) In Hong Kong, I consider that the Director of Medical and Health Services has a fearsome responsibility and whoever is the Director should at least get the same pay as the Colonial Secretary. Indeed, in some ways, he has very much more responsibility. I know that a Committee of the Chinese Medical Association prepared, a long time ago, a scheme which a family can join by paying a reasonable sum per annum and which gave them free medical attention when they were sick. I know, because I was their legal advisor. What has happened to this scheme? Lost in some Government file recess? The school health scheme is commend- able but my doctor friends tell me that there are still several important things to be ironed out before it is really workable.
Lastly, the cost of living. If the average Hong Kong citizens could obtain housing at reasonable rent, could obtain free primary education for their children and a subsidy for those children clever enough to go on higher, and, a medical service scheme which provides insurance against times of sickness, the cost of living would come down, but at present it is soaring up. I accuse Government of bowing to big busi- ness interests in not stabilizing the cost of essential commodities. Hong Kong is a laissez-faire state in the early 19th century style and the trade unions do not help the situation at all, most of them being influenced from outside Hong Kong and playing politics rather than looking after the welfare of their members.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
393
I call upon Government to spend the enormous surpluses accumu- lated year after year after year on improving the housing, educational and medical services! To get the Inland Revenue Ordinance into correct form so that we have income tax instead of a set of different taxes and so that every man is taxed on his total income. When they have done all this, I for one will not object to paying more taxes if Government will offer more services.
Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
MR. K. A. WATSON: -Mr. Chairman, seven years ago, in the first Urban Council debate in which I took part, I spoke of the wide range of its activities. I said that it appeared to be concerned with almost every aspect of life in this bustling, noisy, cheerful, appallingly over- crowded rabbit-warren of a city.
Cleansing. Unfortunately, during this past summer it has been a very smelly rabbit-warren of a city, a city set not in a silver sea but in a sea of garbage. The blame has been attributed to many causes, the typhoons, unexpected breakdowns of vehicles, the low rates of pay and the subsequent shortage of labourers. But much of it was due, I am afraid, to lack of foresight and a refusal by Government to take action quickly enough. Much of the garbage which spoilt our beaches came from the Gin Drinkers Bay refuse dump. For years we have warned Government what would happen if it was not closed off with a bund. In the 1961 public debate-34 years ago, John MARDEN appealed to the requisite authority to build the other half of the breakwater, but a deaf ear was turned to this and to other appeals. The nuisance con- tinued, until this summer it became utterly unbearable, and Hong Kong achieved fame throughout the world for its filthy harbour. (Laughter). If any private organization had caused such a wide-spread nuisance, it would have been prosecuted immediately and rightly so, but Govern- ment is a law unto itself.
As for the garbage in the streets, I think the cause was not so much that the cleansing force was 10% under strength but that, under pressure from the financial authorities, the Urban Services Department has been, during the last few years, much too modest in its requests for more labour and for more vehicles. If proof is required, consider the fact that last year we asked for only 40 extra labourers in the Cleansing Division, whereas this year we have asked for 574. Detailed justifica- tions have been given for each of these extra posts and I hope that they will all be approved and that none of them will be turned down by some anonymous functionary (if I may use Mr. SALES's description) in the Colonial Secretariat.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.