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CHAIRMAN:-The addition after the words "Legislative Council”, "Full stop. And that this motion be placed before the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee with the rider that they implement it if at all possible."

This amending motion is moved by Mr. BERNACCHI and seconded by Dr. BELL.

The question was put.

The amendment was carried.

CHAIRMAN: We now vote on the motion, the amended motion. This motion is moved again by Mr. BERNACCHI and seconded by Dr. BELL.

The question was put.

The motion, as amended, was carried with Official Members abstaining.

(3) MR. A. de O. SALES moved the following motion:-

That this Council appoint an Ad Hoc Committee for the purpose of considering and recommending measures relat- ing to the future scope and operation of the Council, He said: Mr. Chairman, I believe I am interpreting the feelings of most of my Unofficial colleagues when I put forward this motion to- day. The text is simply worded; the intention is clear. The challenge has been thrown to all and sundry that opinions be forwarded in respect to the form that local government ought to take in Hong Kong in the future. The Council must take up the gauntlet and in fact, this is the move which Unofficial Members of the Council are making in order to express their minds on a subject which must clearly be of the utmost importance to the public. The work of this Council touches upon so many aspects of the life of the citizen in Hong Kong that it must be given every thought and consideration,

Mr. Chairman, I have not sought in the text of this motion to go into detail as to the number of people that this Ad Hoc Committee should have, because that is a matter for the Standing Committee of the Whole Council to determine when the motion is considered for imple- mentation by the Standing Committee of the Whole Council. Neither have I defined the terms of reference for this Ad Hoc Committee because I do not think the Ad Hoc Committee should be hampered in its work by terms of reference. The text of the motion gives discretion to the Ad Hoc Committee to consider a subject which we must be so seriously concerned with in the months ahead. For this reason the Ad Hoc Committee should not be ham-strung in any way.

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Sir, I have long considered our form of Government to be anach- ronistic, and for that reason, time and again I have advocated in this Council that there should be a de-centralisation of authority so that the exercise of power at any time may not prejudice the public interest. The concentration of power always precedes the destruction of liberty, and it is up to the leaders in every walk of public life to ensure that concentration of power is never made to the extent where the freedoms of the people are in anyway limited. In Hong Kong, happily we enjoy the freedom of expression, freedom of worship. Sir, all of us could cite examples of how the concentration of administrative power is resented by the public. Should you have any doubts, Sir, I would strongly re- commend that you read the correspondence columns of to-day's edition of our English language paper. Sir, last week we had a striking example of how the administration can pursue its policy with a single-minded purpose to the exclusion of the public interest in other ways. For example, Urban Councillors were prevented from seeking sanctuary in the City Hall, which is rightfully theirs, for the opening of British Week because so much police power was concentrated in the environs of the City Hall, that not even you, Sir, could reach there in good time. (Laughter). So with this flippant example, may I suggest that, this subject, being of such transcending importance, we should set about our business of creating an Ad Hoc Committee, entrusting it with the utmost discretion to consider what form local government should take, and in particular to consider and recommend measures relating to the future scope and operation of the Council.

I so move.

MR. BERNACCHI :-Mr. Chairman, I am very happy to second this Motion. It is in line with His Excellency the Governor's speech in the Legislative Council the other day and indeed it is only right that we should have a say in recommending measures relating to our own future. It would be going into the work of this Ad Hoc Committee to say much about my own hopes for the future of this Council but equally well I must say that the system of local Government which has been approved by His Excellency the Governor and I think by Mrs. WHITE, the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies when she came here, involves a system whereby the joint towns of Victoria and Kowloon should have a municipal Government whereas the county towns in the New Territories should have urban district councils. A municipal Council would have far more scope than this present Council. For instance almost complete say over education and of course, the Fire Services for which we have already passed a substantive motion the other day. Municipal Councils in England and in most parts of the world control the Police Force. I think in Hong Kong we would be setting our sights a little too high if we sought to control the Police Force, (Laughter) in so far as it also provides a proportion of the

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