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this opportunity to put forward some frank criticism on the present inadequate liaison system between the Council Section and the Urban Services Department, and between the Urban Services Department and Council Members. My criticism, however, in no way bears any reflec- tion on the staff of the Urban Services Department, for whom I have great respect.

It is not unusual in this Council that the decisions of the Select Committees are not implemented on the same lines as agreed to by the Committees. I can recall at least four instances of this in the Select Committees in which I personally took part. When I drew the atten- tion of the Committees to these discrepancies, the answer was that nothing could be done as approval had already been given. This frus- trates Members who spend so much time in holding long discussions before arriving at these decisions. In my opinion, this is entirely due to the lack of a proper liaison system. A streamlined system should be devised in order to avoid any misunderstanding and to increase the efficiency of the different sections of the Council.

Another point which has come to my notice is that very often Members' inquiries or questions at Council meetings have not been followed up to the Members' satisfaction. These questions are intended for public interest, and Members are entitled to know in detail what action and what results have taken place. To illustrate my case in point, may I remind you, Sir, that in June 1958 I asked a question whether it was feasible for a portion of the Botanic Gardens to be lighted in the evening so that residents in the mid-level district could use it, especially in the summer. Mr. MORRISON, the then Chairman, replied that he would be happy to refer the question to the appropriate Select Committee. I do not know whether this particular Committee has discussed the question; in any case I have not been invited to take part in the discussion, nor have I been informed of any deliberations taken on the subject, and up to now no section of the Botanic Gardens is lighted in the evening. That a simple question like this can be shelved for six long years without any obvious explanation is indeed beyond my comprehension.

May I now turn to some important problems faced by the Council. First, Hawkers. It is the present tendency that pedlars are sited in the side streets, and as there are very few streets in Hong Kong suitable for the purpose, the fixed pitches are closely packed together. This is a wrong policy, because hawkers, owing to the nature of the trade, invariably leave their paraphernalia and other unwanted articles in the street, thus making it unclean and unhealthy. Consideration must be given to the residents in the area and also to the school children as many schools have their entrances obstructed by the stalls in this way. I feel very strongly that youngsters who are physically fit should be

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encouraged to seek employment instead of hawking. I suggest there- fore that the issue of pedlars' licences be stopped for a period and the situation carefully studied.

In connexion with hawkers, I must make a few remarks on Markets. I hope I will not offend Mr. Wilfred WONG, the Chairman of the Markets Select Committee, when I say that the present state of Hong Kong markets is deplorable, for not only are they very unhygienic but they also make the surrounding area equally filthy and untidy. Before a market is built in any residential area, assurance must first be made that it will be kept clean and tidy, otherwise it may be better not to have the market built at all, for provision shops can serve equally well as markets. To help improve the condition of the markets, our policy must aim at reconstruction of the old markets, keeping them in line with the supermarkets in modern cities. The Central Market now occupies a most valuable piece of land. There is no reason why it should not be developed into a skyscraper with a supermarket occupy- ing the lower two floors.

The second important problem of the Council is Resettlement. With the adoption of the report of the Working Party on Resettle- ment, there would undoubtedly be more clearance and more extensive management in transit areas and licensed areas. More rigid policies would therefore be taken by the Council, and this would lead to more complaints. In the past, individual complaints have been dealt with by the Resettlement Policy Select Committee. I think, however, that this Committee which only formulates policies, is no place for com- plaints. I suggest that a small committee called the "Complaints Sub- Committee" be formed which should deal exclusively with complaints and it should have full authority to make decisions without referring to the other committees on Resettlement or the Standing Committee of the Whole Council. This would ease the burden not only of the Resettlement Department but also of Council Members as well.

My friend, Dr. LEE, has spoken at length on the extension of the scope of the Council, and my colleague, Mr. Li Yiu-bor, has spoken on Education. I need only to repeat that I have always advocated that Education and Medical Services be included in the scope of the Council, and perhaps it is not irrelevant for me to make some observations on local medical services here.

The present public medical services are so overtaxed that facilities are now inadequate to cope with the overwhelming demands for good medical attention at low cost.

Although Government has a planned programme for develop- ment of all medical services, the need for improvement will always be with us.