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street musicians in London even when I was there for a few weeks in 1964.
Mr. Chairman I have gone into part of the work of the Urban Council in such detail that it does not leave me much time for making general comments, but I would briefly state the aims of the Reform Club for the future of this Council. It is in general to make it into a proper Municipal Council fully elected apart from official seats. After all many of the nominated members would indeed get elected, especially Mr. SALES and Mr. MARDEN after their speeches to-day, with Mr. MARDEN of course—unless the Cooked Food Stall holder gets the vote—(Laughter). I am glad to hear that the new slaughterhouses are now at last progressing. The Urban Council should be the Building Authority and should have the power to make by-laws for the control of premises. Education should come under the Council and there should be free primary education for all. The Urban Council should have an unofficial member as representative on the Medical Advisory Board and the Medical Advisory Board itself be converted to a Medical Board with power to regulate the Government medical services which themselves should be enormously expanded. The Reform Club welcomes the appointment of Mrs. ELLIOTT to the Advisory Board on Public Transport and hopes that this Transport Board will go in for long term policy so as to provide new housing estates with proper public transport facilities before and not after their occupation. This all requires money and the Reform Club advocates a complete change in the Inland Revenue Ordinance so as to provide for one income tax and not at present the system of a series of separate taxes which means that many speculators can take care that they do not come within any specific category. The Reform Club also advocates that this Council should have the benefit of the rates and not as at present, the rates falling into the general revenue.
Finally, but not lastly—(Laughter).
MR. SALES interrupted at the point:-Sir, excuse me, as it is already twenty minutes may I suggest that you use your discretion to allow Mr. BERNACCHI all the time that he wants since he is making a speech that any appointed member would have made in any case. (Laughter).
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MR. BERNACCHI:-In fact, Mr. Chairman, I have only one more
CHAIRMAN:-As Mr. BERNACCHI has one minute to go on his speech he has my consent to proceed beyond the twenty minutes.
MR. BERNACCHI (continued):-Thank you Mr. Chairman, as regards the New Territories, we say that the District Office is antiquated and
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an unrealistic method of controlling the numerous towns springing up in the New Territories especially as Resettlement Estates are already being planned in the Castle Peak and Tai Po Sha Tin areas. There is only one of two choices. Let the New Territories have their own councils, town by town, with perhaps more authority given to the Heung Yee Kok especially in the way of co-ordination of the town councils. The other one is for the Urban Council to be given jurisdiction over the whole of Hong Kong's territory which perhaps makes the enlargement of the Ward System imperative. Even elections by wards, so that the New Territories can be adequately represented by their own people on this Council. This again involves the introduction of Simultaneous Translation. We have a sub-committee experimenting on this, and although we have found that it is better for the interpreters to go through a course of training in this system, it definitely can work. I propose that it be introduced into this Council at the earliest possible date. Mr. Chairman I support the motion.
MR. SALES:-Mr. Chairman, may I make a statement on behalf of the appointed members?
We would like to thank Mr. BERNACCHI for suggesting that the appointed members would win the elections if we were to decide to stand. We ourselves have no doubt about that. (Laughter). For this very reason I declared to this Council more than once that we were intending to put up our own candidate at the elections as one of our councillors will say tomorrow. He will first propose the abolition of the appointed membership system after which he will suggest the creation of an appointed members' party.
MR. FUNG HON-CHU:-Mr. Chairman, being the first speaker listed after the two eloquent speakers referred to by my good friend Mr. LI, I wish Mr. Li would have made it clearer in his speech that he was speaking before all the eloquent speakers except Mr. FUNG. (Laughter). I enjoyed listening to his speech immensely, and I do support all what he suggested.
In an annual debate such as this, I feel we should concern ourselves less with the nature of subjects, whether they be within or outside the scope of this Council, than with how much good we can achieve by discussing them here. From past experience, we can anticipate a number of points raised by unofficial members that directly concern this Council to remain unanswered, and we can well imagine the fate of questions outside its scope. I feel that whatever the merits of points raised, in so far as they affect this Council, the unofficial members will certainly appreciate a reply. If time does not permit it being given here Government ought to consider sending written answers to, or dis-
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street musicians in London even when I was there for a few weeks in 1964.
Mr. Chairman I have gone into part of the work of the Urban Council in such detail that it does not leave me much time for making general comments, but I would briefly state the aims of the Reform Club for the future of this Council. It is in general to make it into a proper Municipal Council fully elected apart from official seats. After all many of the nominated members would indeed get elected, especially Mr. SALES and Mr. MARDEN after their speeches to-day, with Mr. MARDEN of course-unless the Cooked Food Stall holder gets the vote- (Laughter). I am glad to hear that the new slaughterhouses are now at last progressing. The Urban Council should be the Building Authority and should have the power to make by-laws for the control of premises. Education should come under the Council and there should be free primary education for all. The Urban Council should have an unofficial member as representative on the Medical Advisory Board and the Medical Advisory Board itself be converted to a Medical Board with power to regulate the Government medical services which themselves should be enormously expanded. The Reform Club wel- comes the appointment of Mrs. ELLIOTT to the Advisory Board on Public Transport and hopes that this Transport Board will go in for long term policy so as to provide new housing estates with proper public transport facilities before and not after their occupation. This all requires money and the Reform Club advocates a complete change in the Inland Revenue Ordinance so as to provide for one income tax and not at present the system of a series of separate taxes which means that many speculators can take care that they do not come within any specific category. The Reform Club also advocates that this Council should have the benefit of the rates and not as at present, the rates falling into the general revenue.
Finally, but not lastly--(Laughter).
MR. SALES interrupted at the point:-Sir, excuse me, as it is already twenty minutes may I suggest that you use your discretion to allow Mr. BERNACCHI all the time that he wants since he is making a speech that any appointed member would have made in any case. (Laughter).
page.
MR. BERNACCHI:-In fact, Mr. Chairman, I have only one more
CHAIRMAN:-As Mr. BERNACCHI has one minute to go on his speech he has my consent to proceed beyond the twenty minutes.
MR. BERNACCHI (continued):-Thank you Mr. Chairman, as regards the New Territories, we say that the District Office is antiquated and
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
443
an unrealistic method of controlling the numerous towns springing up in the New Territories especially as Resettlement Estates are already being planned in the Castle Peak and Tai Po Sha Tin areas. There is only one of two choices. Let the New Territories have their own councils, town by town, with perhaps more authority given to the Heung Yee Kok especially in the way of co-ordination of the town councils. The other one is for the Urban Council to be given jurisdic- tion over the whole of Hong Kong's territory which perhaps makes the enlargement of the Ward System imperative. Even elections by wards, so that the New Territories can be adequately represented by their own people on this Council. This again involves the introduction of Simul- taneous Translation. We have a sub-committee experimenting on this, and although we have found that it is better for the interpreters to go through a course of training in this system, it definitely can work. I propose that it be introduced into this Council at the earliest possible date. Mr. Chairman I support the motion.
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, may I make a statement on behalf of the appointed members?
We would like to thank Mr. BERNACCHI for suggesting that the appointed members would win the elections if we were to decide to stand. We ourselves have no doubt about that. (Laughter). For this very reason I declared to this Council more than once that we were intending to put up our own candidate at the elections as one of our councillors will say tomorrow. He will first propose the abolition of the appointed membership system after which he will suggest the creation of an appointed members' party.
MR. FUNG HON-CHU:-Mr. Chairman, being the first speaker listed after the two eloquent speakers referred to by my good friend Mr. LI, I wish Mr. Li would have made it clearer in his speech that he was speaking before all the eloquent speakers except Mr. FUNG. (Laughter). I enjoyed listening to his speech immensely, and I do support all what he suggested.
In an annual debate such as this, I feel we should concern ourselves less with the nature of subjects, whether they be within or outside the scope of this Council, than with how much good we can achieve by discussing them here. From past experience, we can anticipate a number of points raised by unofficial members that directly concern this Council to remain unanswered, and we can well imagine the fate of questions outside its scope. I feel that whatever the merits of points raised, in so far as they affect this Council, the unofficial members will certainly appreciate a reply. If time does not permit it being given here Government ought to consider sending written answers to, or dis-
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