HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
related to indecent publications and 26 in connexion with the showing of indecent films.
Mr. CHEONG-LEEN made the specific suggestion that certain types of film should be classified "for adults only". This is a measure which has been considered in the past, but the general consensus of advice that has been received has been that it was not practicable to enforce, because cinema-going in Hong Kong is still very much a family entertainment and most parents attend theatres accompanied by their children. Very often this may be because parents wishing to visit the cinema cannot, or are reluctant to, leave their children unattended and therefore take them along. At any rate for this reason it has not been considered practical hitherto to introduce legislation designed to make it an offence for minors to see certain types of film. In the absence of such legislation parents and guardians of young persons must exercise their discretion; and I understand that, to enable them to do so, a Censor's Directive "unsuitable for children" is issued where a film is, in the opinion of the Chief Film Censor, unsuitable for public exhibition to children, and that by voluntary agreement such films are advertised in the Press by the distributors with the words "Censor's Directive unsuitable for children" clearly displayed. On the general question of film censorship, which is a complicated and controversial matter, I have little to add to the remarks of the Director of Information Services which were recently given considerable prominence in the local press.
In an ideal society there would be no censorship; but society is never perfect and the Censors must therefore try to draw a balance between licentiousness and prudery and to restrict material which could corrupt youth or lead any section of the population to depravity.
These are to some extent negative approaches. More positively Mr. Li Yiu-bor sees community and social centres as doing the community a great service and believes that the best way to combat juvenile delinquency is to provide our youths with such activities as are at present being provided by such centres. There are now 37 centres in Hong Kong, which fall within the general category of community and social centres, providing a wide range of services to old and young which vary considerably in scope and size from case to case. Six are run by the Social Welfare Department; sites for other community centres have been reserved in all new resettlement estates. There are firm plans for a new Community Centre at Chai Wan and another at Yuen Long, and I understand that voluntary agencies have five other centres in an advanced stage of planning. These centres do not, of course, cater solely for young people. They provide a wide variety of services to interest all age groups and include vocational training, handicrafts, recreational programmes, casework services, libraries, counselling services, group programmes; some of those run by the voluntary agencies also provide canteens, clinics, kindergartens.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
overnight shelter for the poor and accommodation for low paid workers. The underlying aim of the community centres run by the Social Welfare Department is to stimulate interests which create groups, lead to a fuller participation in the life of the community and develop leadership potential. I am sure that Mr. LI is right in recognizing their importance.
The extent to which further centres, supported by public funds, can be created depends partly upon a policy review, which is in progress, and partly on the availability of funds: but that is not all that it depends on, for an adequate supply of trained leaders is also required to staff these programmes and others like them. The Social Welfare Department has recently received approval for the construction and operation of a training centre for youth workers (and also for nursery workers) towards the capital cost of which a most generous contribution has been promised by Sir Shiu-kin TANG. There is every prospect of financial support for certain recurrent costs of the training centre in its first few years being made available by UNICEF.
Mr. BERNACCHI has made a plea for more camping sites to be established in the New Territories under Government management. There are at present 11 camping sites and holiday homes in the New Territories and one on Hong Kong Island, mostly operated by voluntary agencies, and many agencies have active programmes for bringing and encouraging children and young people to make full use of these facilities. The Federation of Youth Groups also makes use of certain schools in the New Territories as youth hostels, and the Social Welfare Department and several voluntary agencies also involve young people in summer projects, many of which take place in the New Territories. These programmes have my enthusiastic support, and I believe the support and interest of many others. I hope to receive approval to establish a second Youth Recreation and Training Centre at Fanling, in the financing of the construction of which the Rotary Club of Hong Kong Island have expressed a very active interest. As regards Mr. BERNACCHI's emphasis on such camps being organized by Government, I would not altogether agree with him, if this is intended to imply a preference for official provision as opposed to provision by voluntary agencies. I do not however believe that this is what he intends to imply. Certainly the voluntary agencies have made a very great contribution in this field and I would hope that they will continue to do so.
Mr. Chairman, with these remarks I have much pleasure in supporting the motion before Council. (Applause).
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: -Mr. Chairman, when I speak at this annual event I usually find myself making some reference to the planning, design and construction of Resettlement Estates. This year, Mr. P. K. NG has drawn attention to the shortcomings of the Mark I
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
related to indecent publications and 26 in connexion with the showing of indecent films.
Mr. CHEONG-LEEN made the specific suggestion that certain types of film should be classified "for adults only". This is a measure which has been considered in the past, but the general consensus of advice that has been received has been that it was not practicable to enforce, because cinema-going in Hong Kong is still very much a family enter- tainment and most parents attend theatres accompanied by their chil- dren. Very often this may be because parents wishing to visit the cinema cannot, or are reluctant to, leave their children unattended and therefore take them along. At any rate for this reason it has not been considered practical hitherto to introduce legislation designed to make it an offence for minors to see certain types of film. In the absence of such legislation parents and guardians of young persons must exercise their discretion; and I understand that, to enable them to do so, a Censor's Directive "unsuitable for children" is issued where a film is, in the opinion of the Chief Film Censor, unsuitable for public exhibition to children, and that by voluntary agreement such films are advertised in the Press by the distributors with the words "Censor's Directive unsuitable for children" clearly displayed. On the general question of film censorship, which is a complicated and controversial matter, I have little to add to the remarks of the Director of Informa- tion Services which were recently given considerable prominence in the local press.
In an ideal society there would be no censorship; but society is never perfect and the Censors must therefore try to draw a balance between licentiousness and prudery and to restrict material which could corrupt youth or lead any section of the population to depravity.
These are to some extent negative approaches. More positively Mr. Li Yiu-bor sees community and social centres as doing the com- munity a great service and believes that the best way to combat juvenile delinquency is to provide our youths with such activities as are at present being provided by such centres. There are now 37 centres in Hong Kong, which fall within the general category of com- munity and social centres, providing a wide range of services to old and young which vary considerably in scope and size from case to case. Six are run by the Social Welfare Department; sites for other community centres have been reserved in all new resettlement estates. There are firm plans for a new Community Centre at Chai Wan and another at Yuen Long, and I understand that voluntary agencies have five other centres in an advanced stage of planning. These centres do not, of course, cater solely for young people. They provide a wide variety of services to interest all age groups and include voca- tional training, handicrafts, recreational programmes, casework services, libraries, counselling services, group programmes; some of those run by the voluntary agencies also provide canteens, clinics, kindergartens.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
419
overnight shelter for the poor and accommodation for low paid workers. The underlying aim of the community centres run by the Social Welfare Department is to stimulate interests which create groups, lead to a fuller participation in the life of the community and develop leadership poten- tial. I am sure that Mr. LI is right in recognizing their importance.
The extent to which further centres, supported by public funds, can be created depends partly upon a policy review, which is in progress, and partly on the availability of funds: but that is not all that it depends on, for an adequate supply of trained leaders is also required to staff these programmes and others like them. The Social Welfare Depart- ment has recently received approval for the construction and operation of a training centre for youth workers (and also for nursery workers) towards the capital cost of which a most generous contribution has been promised by Sir Shiu-kin TANG. There is every prospect of finan- cial support for certain recurrent costs of the training centre in its first few years being made available by UNICEF.
Mr. BERNACCHI has made a plea for more camping sites to be established in the New Territories under Government management. There are at present 11 camping sites and holiday homes in the New Territories and one on Hong Kong Island, mostly operated by voluntary agencies, and many agencies have active programmes for bringing and encouraging children and young people to make full use of these facilities. The Federation of Youth Groups also makes use of certain schools in the New Territories as youth hostels, and the Social Welfare Department and several voluntary agencies also involve young people in summer projects, many of which take place in the New Territories. These programmes have my enthusiastic support, and I believe the support and interest of many others. I hope to receive approval to establish a second Youth Recreation and Training Centre at Fanling, in the financing of the construction of which the Rotary Club of Hong Kong Island have expressed a very active interest. As regards Mr. BERNACCHI's emphasis on such camps being organized by Government, I would not altogether agree with him, if this is intended to imply a preference for official provision as opposed to provision by voluntary agencies. I do not however believe that this is what he intends to imply. Certainly the voluntary agencies have made a very great contri- bution in this field and I would hope that they will continue to do so.
Mr. Chairman, with these remarks I have much pleasure in support- ing the motion before Council. (Applause).
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: -Mr. Chairman, when I speak at this annual event I usually find myself making some reference to the planning, design and construction of Resettlement Estates. This year, Mr. P. K. NG has drawn attention to the shortcomings of the Mark I
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