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SALES, from blowing his own and his Committee's trumpet. But as a new member of this Council and that particular Select Committee, I do not feel inhibited from shouting from the rooftops my admiration at the wonderful progress Mr. SALES and his Committee, backed up by the Urban Services Department, have made in improving the recreational and other amenities for the public of Hong Kong. Much has been done, much remains to be done, but it would be churlish of Mr. Hilton CHEONG-LEEN not to recognize the existence of the long-term plan for the extension of Urban Amenities. The only restricting factors are finance and the ability to fit the many schemes and ideas that flow from the imagination of our Senior Appointed Member and his Committee into the Public Works programme.

I am sure Mr. CHEONG-LEEN's intention was to draw even more attention and therefore priority to existing plans for extending Urban Amenities and will have no objection therefore to my proposing that his motion be referred to the Urban Amenities Select Committee.

DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, I would like to second Mr. FORSGATE'S amendment to Mr. CHEONG-LEEN'S motion that this motion should be referred to our very active and progressive Urban Amenities Select Committee. I feel that the terms of Mr. CHEONG-LEEN'S motion are so vague, non-specific, and that it is so precisely what our Urban Amenities Select Committee is doing and has done over the past few years with considerable success, that there is very little justification, except perhaps to draw public attention to Mr. CHEONG-LEEN's own personal interest in public amenities, which is highly commendable, in asking this Council to pass his motion. Perhaps Mr. CHEONG-LEEN should become a member of the Urban Amenities Select Committee. Had Mr. CHEONG-LEEN asked for any specific new recreation ground or new public recreation facility, which is not at present receiving the full attention of the Urban Amenities Select Committee and the co-operation through that Committee of Government, then I would have given his motion my very full and unamended support. For instance, he might have asked for a Municipal golf course at Sha Tin and/or at Sai Kung. (Laughter)

MR. CHEONG-LEEN: On a point of clarification, I couldn't because Dr. BELL has already asked for it.

DR. BELL: But even the golf course is under consideration by the Select Committee and I hope, through it, also by Government because, of course, it would provide wonderful and cheap recreation for all ages, including Mr. Li, and particularly for the white-collar class who tend to be much neglected and who are possibly beyond the basketball years. Nothing could be healthier or a more uncertain gamble than the average round of golf.

Or for instance, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN might have urged that the Financial Secretary be prevailed upon to release more funds for the immediate illumination of all playgrounds so that the existing facilities could be put to better use, instead of the rather long-term present programme for installing such lighting.

Mr. Chairman, I support the amended motion.

MR. RAFEEK: Mr. Chairman, in rising to give my support to the motion proposed by my colleague, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, and seconded by Mr. Li Yiu-bor, I would like to make a brief comment thereon.

MR. BERNACCHI: Mr. Chairman, on a point of order, as there has been an amendment proposed and seconded, it isn't the motion before the Council now - all the speeches are speeches on the amendment, and then we come back to the motion if the amendment is defeated.

MR. RAFEEK: In that case, Mr. Chairman, I would like to support the amendment and proceed.

Every human being is entitled by natural law to a reasonable amount of rest and recreation. In our present-day society, which is so highly urbanized and organized, it devolves mainly on the civil authority to see that adequate facilities for such rest and recreation are available to even the poorest members of the community. Even more so in this overcrowded and unnatural city of Hong Kong, the greatest care should be taken to ensure a plenitude of open air and recreation grounds for the public. There is no escape for 80 percent of our public from their immediate working and living surroundings, so there is a greater need here than elsewhere for adequate recreation spaces spread all over the Colony. If such demands a journey by our grossly inadequate public transport, and spending money, then the temptation to sit put and gamble in a convenient stairway is well-nigh insurmountable.

Sir, I beg to support the amended motion before the Council.

CHAIRMAN: I feel from what has already been said, that while it is evident that Mr. CHEONG-LEEN has studied the Report of the Advisory Committee on Gambling Policy (in his original speech, of which I received a copy on November 2nd, he spent most of his time talking about gambling), he has not been aware of the intensity of effort which has marked the activities of the Urban Amenities Select Committee in the past year or more. This pressure of work on the part of the Committee has resulted in the splitting of the Amenities and General Division into two parts (an arrangement made possible by the recent posting to the Department of Mr. G. M. TINGLE), so that greater attention can now be paid by the Amenities Division to the provision of more recreation grounds and other public amenities.

I await with close interest the comments of the Chairman of the Urban Amenities Select Committee on those parts of the debate which touch upon the work of his Committee.

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