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Apart from Government, the three main charity hospitals must also contribute in a more significant manner by improving the quality of their existing services in every possible way. Since these hospitals receive large subventions from Government each year, better and more effective control of their activities should be exercised. It is my firm opinion that in order to ensure that public money is best spent, Government should form a Board of Governors including among others, members of the public, to look after the management of the charity hospitals so that the poorer members of the community may enjoy the full benefit of their facilities. We hope that one day this Council will have some say in the medical services of the Colony and thus see to it that the well-being of the community is properly looked after.
With these remarks, I take much pleasure in supporting the motion before Council.
MR. WILFRED S. B. WONG:- Mr. Chairman, this is the fifth annual occasion at which I have had the opportunity of reviewing the work of the Urban Council. It is with great pleasure that I note that the Members of the Council are becoming more prolific in literary output. In 1960 the annual Hansard contained 215 pages. In 1961 it contained 203 pages, a slight recession; in 1962, 285 pages; and in 1963, 371 pages. During these years, notable achievements have been made on nearly all the activities of the seventeen Select Committees.
MR. SALES:- Mr. Chairman, I think it ought to be clarified that the increase in the number of pages took into account also, the increasing tendency on the part of the Official Members to speak.
MR. WONG:- As in previous years, I shall confine my subjects to those in which I have a special interest and those in which I specialize.
Apropos last year's meeting on 2nd April, I am very glad that an ad hoc committee has been formed this year which has made the recommendations on expanding the scope of the Council in its representation on other bodies and I understand that this body was created as a result of mental telepathy mentioned by Mr. BERNACCHI and me.
On the matter of administration I have always stressed the utmost importance of the quality of our Health Inspectors. I have insisted that Health Inspectors be given a thorough examination on ethics before they are appointed and that recurrent staff talks on the proper attitude of inspectors be continued in order to keep the few stray sheep on the right track.
I am pleased to note that last year, only two cases of malpractice concerning food and food premises were reported to me and, as far as I know, to some of my colleagues on this side of the table. I have traced these cases and found that they were based on a technical error or ambiguity in the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance. A motion, I hope, will be introduced in due course to amend section 94(e) of the Ordinance.
Therefore Mr. Chairman, amongst the many onslaughts which you have to weather from year to year on the seventeen different phases of the Council's activities, I have this to congratulate you on: you must have been giving recurrent staff talks to achieve the improvement which we know.
My next point is about public health in multi-storeyed buildings. In my speech in the Council on 11th April, 1961 I drew attention to the problem of multi-storeyed buildings which will multiply if the Government does not take a strong hand. It is a phenomenon in Hong Kong which outgrows legislation. People must be educated and if necessary guided to enjoy modern amenities. It is a give-and-take proposition where harmonious living together is concerned. The so-called "co-operative flat" to-day is an abuse of the word. The promoters sold their flats and ran away with their responsibilities. Many owners are a scattered and selfish lot. A few are operators in disguise. What we have are tenement slums. We understand that there is a Working Party appointed to solve this problem. I think public health in these "co-operative flats" requires immediate legislation to govern its planning, house rules, management, council and complaints procedure and legislation to pin the responsibility on the original promoter, or the party who holds the land deeds, so that bona fide home makers can enjoy peaceful occupation in conditions compatible to the standards of public health.
Now I come to the problem of Hawkers. Hawking is as old as time itself and we are faced with the problem of a century-old institution growing in a 20th century city. As these problems multiply, we have somewhat lost sight of the original Hawker Report of 1957 and the Supplementary Hawker Report of 1962. Both these reports were accepted by this Council. I quote, "Uncontrolled hawking caused a number of practical problems which, in the interest of the public, could not be tolerated. The main problems caused were: congestion of thoroughfares, fire hazard and above all, health risks. No health authority could accept the position where meat, fish, poultry and certain other foodstuffs were sold in conditions under which cleanliness was disregarded." I give the above quotation for two reasons. The first is to establish a policy that there will be more hawker permitted streets in order to rationalize the situation, so that more pedlar hawkers can become fixed-pitch hawkers. The second reason is to establish more hawker bazaars or markets so that fixed-pitch hawkers can be evolved into market stall-holders.
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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
f312
Page 219 of 312
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Apart from Government, the three main charity hospitals must also contribute in a more significant manner by improving the quality of their existing services in every possible way. Since these hospitals receive large subventions from Government each year, better and more effective control of their activities should be exercised. It is my firm opinion that in order to ensure that public money is best spent, Govern- ment should form a Board of Governors including among others, members of the public, to look after the management of the charity hospitals so that the poorer members of the community may enjoy the full benefit of their facilities. We hope that one day this Council will have some say in the medical services of the Colony and thus see to it that the well-being of the community is properly looked after.
With these remarks, I take much pleasure in supporting the motion before Council.
MR. WILFRED S. B. WONG:-Mr. Chairman, this is the fifth annual occasion at which I have had the opportunity of reviewing the work of the Urban Council. It is with great pleasure that I note that the Members of the Council are becoming more prolific in literary output. In 1960 the annual Hansard contained 215 pages. In 1961 it contained 203 pages, a slight recession; in 1962, 285 pages; and in 1963, 371 pages. During these years, notable achievements have been made on nearly all the activities of the seventeen Select Committees.
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, I think it ought to be clarified that the increase in the number of pages took into account also, the increasing tendency on the part of the Official Members to speak.
MR. WONG:---As in previous years, I shall confine my subjects to those in which I have a special interest and those in which I specialize.
Apropos last year's meeting on 2nd April, I am very glad that an ad hoc committee has been formed this year which has made the recommendations on expanding the scope of the Council in its repre- sentation on other bodies and I understand that this body was created as a result of mental telepathy mentioned by Mr. BERNACCHI and me.
On the matter of administration I have always stressed the utmost importance of the quality of our Health Inspectors. I have insisted that Health Inspectors be given a thorough examination on ethics before they are appointed and that recurrent staff talks on the proper attitude of inspectors be continued in order to keep the few stray sheep on the right track.
I am pleased to note that last year, only two cases of malpractice concerning food and food premises were reported to me and, as far as
¡
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
415
I know, to some of my colleagues on this side of the table. I have traced these cases and found that they were based on a technical error or ambiguity in the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance. A motion, I hope, will be introduced in due course to amend section 94(e) of the Ordinance.
Therefore Mr. Chairman, amongst the many onslaughts which you have to weather from year to year on the seventeen different phases of the Council's activities, I have this to congratulate you on: you must have been giving recurrent staff talks to achieve the improvement which we know.
My next point is about public health in multi-storeyed buildings. In my speech in the Council on 11th April, 1961 I drew attention to the problem of multi-storeyed buildings which will multiply if the Govern- ment does not take a strong hand. It is a phenomenon in Hong Kong which outgrows legislation. People must be educated and if necessary guided to enjoy modern amenities. It is a give-and-take proposition where harmonious living together is concerned. The so-called "co- operative flat" to-day is an abuse of the word. The promoters sold their flats and ran away with their responsibilities. Many owners are a scattered and selfish lot. A few are operators in disguise. What we have are tenement slums. We understand that there is a Working Party appointed to solve this problem. I think public health in these "co- operative flats" requires immediate legislation to govern its planning, house rules, management, council and complaints procedure and legisla- tions to pin the responsibility on the original promoter, or the party who holds the land deeds, so that bona fide home makers can enjoy peaceful occupation in conditions compatible to the standards of public health.
Now I come to the problem of Hawkers. Hawking is as old as time itself and we are faced with the problem of a century-old institution growing in a 20th century city. As these problems multiply, we have somewhat lost sight of the original Hawker Report of 1957 and the Supplementary Hawker Report of 1962. Both these reports were accepted by this Council. I quote, "Uncontrolled hawking caused a number of practical problems which, in the interest of the public, could not be tolerated. The main problems caused were: congestion of thoroughfares, fire hazard and above all, health risks. No health authority could accept the position where meat, fish, poultry and certain other foodstuffs were sold in conditions under which cleanliness was disregarded." I give the above quotation for two reasons. The first is to establish a policy that there will be more hawker permitted streets in order to rationalize the situation, so that more pedlar hawkers can become fixed-pitch hawkers. The second reason is to establish more hawker bazaars or markets so that fixed-pitch hawkers can be evolved into market stall-holders.
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