1965 — Page 230

382

Page 230 of 382

438

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MR. B. A. BERNACCHI:-Mr. Chairman, as one or two members will not be speaking in this debate, can I ask your indulgence ahead if my speech slightly overruns the time.

My speech will follow the general pattern of last year, namely the first part will be a report on the two Select Committees which the members of this Council has done me the honour of making me Chairman. The second part will be composed of general observations on the Reform Club's idea of the role this Council should play in the future.

To deal with Resettlement Policy first. The year has been a busy one with the introduction of the governing policy as laid down in the White Paper. In this respect we have come up against snags and I would direct your attention to paragraph 46 of this year's Aims and Objects. It reads:

"To keep under review the policy and priorities laid down in White Paper entitled 'Review of Policies for Squatter Control, Resettle- ment and Government Low Cost Housing, 1964' and to suggest amendments from time to time."

Indeed, we say no more than that the priorities laid down in our opinion need reviewing. Indeed with the introduction of the New Building Construction Regulations which become compulsory in January next year (I might say, very much needed regulations but not suitable to the speculator who wants to get his pound of flesh out of nearly every square inch of the land he is building upon), perhaps I should say every cubic inch together with the general dropping in the price of land, the tenants evicted from old buildings because of exemp- tion orders have now become manageable numbers, and I think the majority of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee would welcome them being classified on an equal footing as tenants evicted from dangerous buildings. Indeed it was the majority recommendation of the original Working Party on whose report the White Paper was later based.

We have had an increase in the number of cases referred to us on the application of our policies by the Resettlement Department and we have therefore, during the year, set up an "Appeals Sub-Committee” of three members to consider these Appeals. The Resettlement Policy Select Committee has gone over to two regular meetings a month lasting approximately an hour rather than the previous system of one meeting a month usually lasting two hours or more.

This new system,

I find, is more convenient to most members. We have also had a number of Joint Committee meetings of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee and the Resettlement Management Select Committee com- prising altogether more than half this Council, and members have done

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

439

me the courtesy of inviting me to become Chairman of these Joint Select Committees as well. These joint meetings have considered such things as the provisions of addition electrical supply for Resettlement Factory Blocks, the design of the New Mark 5 Resettlement Blocks, the proposals for a revision of rent in Resettlement Blocks, the problems of hawkers particularly cook-food and poultry hawkers, the policy as to inheritance upon the death of a tenant in the Resettlement Estates and the drawing up, indeed, of the Aims and Objects for next year contained in paragraph 45 to 48 of the subject matter of the Debate. On two of those matters I will elaborate shortly. As to the revision of rents, that was a policy decided upon by the Governor-in-Council and therefore it would be inappropriate for me to comment upon it, except to say, that having decided that rents in old blocks should be increased, they referred it to this Council to consider the proposals fully and in considering them we made various alterations designed to alleviate the increases as much as possible, most of which were accepted. As to the problem of hawking in Resettlement areas we are now erect- ing separate temporary markets for the sale of live chicken by the hawkers that were selling them originally on a pedlar's hawkers licence which was, of course, illegal. We all feel that a Resettlement Estate especially in out-lying areas is, in fact, a town in itself and must be supplied some how with all the facilities of a town, one of which is the sale of live poultry. The majority of the fish and meat shops do not go in for this owing to the obvious health requirements as to selling poultry, namely a completely separated part of a shop. The problem of illegal cook-food stalls is still very much to the fore. It seems that as most families in Resettlement areas both parents go out to work, there is far less cooking at home than would normally be the case, and for myself I think that the only two alternatives are to greatly increase the restaurant facilities including, perhaps, cheap canteens, or, to license the cook-food stalls.

I will not go through the many problems that have come before the Resettlement Policy Select Committee. Sufficient is it to say, that apart from individual appeals we have had to consider and make decisions on a number of important matters, from compassionate allocation of shops in Resettlement Estates to the policy in regard to persons cleared from boats and scavenging lanes both in relation to domestic resettlement and in relation to shop accommodation.

Finally on this subject I would like to refer to paragraph 47 in the Statement of Aims and Objects.

"To urge Government in implement the policy, which has been adopted in principle, of counting children of 6 or over as adults for the propose of room allocation on admission to Resettlement Estates, while retaining the policy of counting children of 10 or over as adults for the purpose or relieving over-crowding.”

Page 230Page 231