HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
no such accusation. I merely wish to praise my Official colleagues: I do so by calling them masters of justification. They endeavoured to justify the policies which are being carried out by the various Select Committees and by the Government Departments which Unofficial Members have also criticized and which are strictly speaking not within the purview of the Urban Council.
Nevertheless, Sir, I wish to compliment my Official colleagues on the frank manner in which they have discussed many of our problems, putting forth the reasons why some of the programmes advocated by the Unofficial Members cannot be carried out. But the Urban Council is an ambitious body. We will not rest on our laurels; we intend to implement the terms of the motion as stated in the supporting paper. Therefore, may I, Sir, ask that you direct your Department to bring to the attention of the appropriate Select Committees the parts which refer to their work and fall within their terms of reference. My colleagues and I are grateful for the assurance that you and your staff will study our views very carefully, where such views fall within the province of the Urban Council, and, where they do not, you have also given us the assurance that you have referred them to the Colonial Secretariat and other Government Departments. That is the spirit which we would like to see prevailing in this Council. After all is said and done, Unofficial Members of the Urban Council give much of their time and also take much trouble over their service in this Council. In the circumstances, they expect that their views put forward on this and other occasions should be taken seriously by the Government. Otherwise, there would be no reason for them to lend their time and their goodwill in the public service. Sir, we have advocated many causes and we do not expect that the criticism which you have asked us to make should be negated by an attitude of mind which cannot be justified in this day and age. We expect that these suggestions which have been made should be carefully analysed and evaluated in our circumstances. That is the sole purpose of our Annual Conventional Debate, so that we may profit by the occasion to make our views known to the Government on a wide range of subjects which we could not discuss at other times without introducing ultra vires motions which the Government does not exactly relish.
Sir, my colleague, the Commissioner for Resettlement in a stage whisper told the city and the world that the Government is truly and really responsible for the Resettlement Estates, and not the Urban Council.
Dr. LEE has very clearly anticipated my remarks. Dr. LEE did so in a whisper which might not have carried across the room to the Press. His was not the stage whisper which the Commissioner for Resettlement used. I then became most surprised when, after discounting the claims of Mr. BERNACCHI and Dr. LEE, the Commissioner for Resettlement proceeded to assume all credit for tree planting, construction of sportsgrounds and installation of benches in the Resettlement Estates, together with the Urban Services Department, without of course mentioning the work of the Parks, Recreation and Amenities Select Committee. (Laughter).
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Sir, I do not subscribe to the opinion offered by the Commissioner for Resettlement in rebutting the suggestion made by my colleague Mr. FORSGATE that the cost of building playgrounds in Resettlement Estates should not be borne by the block vote. In point of fact, the playgrounds should be part of the cost of each estate as it is put up, and the Select Committee has suggested to the Government that these playgrounds must be built at the time that the estates are constructed so that land may not lie idle for months afterwards without the children being able to use these facilities for their recreation. That is the point which the Urban Council wishes to make in very clear terms: that playgrounds in Resettlement Estates must be built together with the estates themselves, so that these facilities may be immediately available to the children when they take up residence there.
I do not, Sir, for one moment question the reason put forward by the Director of Public Works for digging up the roads of Hong Kong. What the public questions is the long period in which such roads are not made available again for public use. I cite an example, Sir, I believe it was before July when that stretch of road between Prince Edward Road and Boundary Street was closed to traffic, and until I left for Bangkok a fortnight ago it had not been restored to public use. And, that stretch of road is less than 100 yards long.
I subscribe, and so do my colleagues, to the policy statement made by the Director of Social Welfare. We speak virtually with one voice when he says that he realizes the need for all these facilities so that the youth of Hong Kong may be properly brought up and may be given the opportunities which now they so sadly lack. Sir, there is only one reservation that we wish to make and, that is, that all the programmes for the welfare of the youth of Hong Kong cannot be jeopardized by this exaction that Hong Kong should contribute more towards the cost of the Garrison here. These programmes cannot under any circumstances be set back, because youth must be served. Time and tide wait for no man, and these children need schooling and require playing facilities now, not in the years ahead. They are the future citizens of Hong Kong. They must be given every opportunity so that theirs may not be a warped outlook towards the community as a whole.
May I say this, Sir, that as Chairman of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind, I support entirely any move to regulate the use of fire-
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no such accusation. I merely wish to praise my Official colleagues: I do so by calling them masters of justification. They endeavoured to justify the policies which are being carried out by the various Select Committees and by the Government Departments which Unofficial Members have also criticized and which are strictly speaking not within the purview of the Urban Council.
Nevertheless, Sir, I wish to compliment my Official colleagues on the frank manner in which they have discussed many of our problems, putting forth the reasons why some of the programmes advocated by the Unofficial Members cannot be carried out. But the Urban Council is an ambitious body. We will not rest on our laurels; we intend to implement the terms of the motion as stated in the supporting paper. Therefore, may I, Sir, ask that you direct your Department to bring to the attention of the appropriate Select Committees the parts which refer to their work and fall within their terms of reference. My colleagues and I are grateful for the assurance that you and your staff will study our views very carefully, where such views fall within the province of the Urban Council, and, where they do not, you have also given us the assurance that you have referred them to the Colonial Secretariat and other Government Departments. That is the spirit which we would like to see prevailing in this Council. After all is said and done, Unofficial Members of the Urban Council give much of their time and also take much trouble over their service in this Council. In the circumstances, they expect that their views put for- ward on this and other occasions should be taken seriously by the Government. Otherwise, there would be no reason for them to lend their time and their goodwill in the public service. Sir, we have ad- vocated many causes and we do not expect that the criticism which you have asked us to make should be negated by an attitude of mind which cannot be justified in this day and age. We expect that these suggestions which have been made should be carefully analysed and evaluated in our circumstances. That is the sole purpose of our Annual Conventional Debate, so that we may profit by the occasion to make our views known to the Government on a wide range of subjects which we could not discuss at other times without introduc- ing ultra vires motions which the Government does not exactly relish.
Sir, my colleague, the Commissioner for Resettlement in a stage whisper told the city and the world that the Government is truly and really responsible for the Resettlement Estates, and not the Urban Council.
Dr. LEE has very clearly anticipated my remarks. Dr. LEE did so in a whisper which might not have carried across the room to the Press. His was not the stage whisper which the Commissioner for Resettlement used. I then became most surprised when, after dis-
i
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441
counting the claims of Mr. BERNACCHI and Dr. LEE, the Commissioner for Resettlement proceeded to assume all credit for tree planting, con- struction of sportsgrounds and installation of benches in the Resettle- ment Estates, together with the Urban Services Department, without of course mentioning the work of the Parks, Recreation and Amenities Select Committee. (Laughter).
Sir, I do not subscribe to the opinion offered by the Commissioner for Resettlement in rebutting the suggestion made by my colleague Mr. FORSGATE that the cost of building playgrounds in Resettlement Estates should not be borne by the block vote. In point of fact, the playgrounds should be part of the cost of each estate as it is put up, and the Select Committee has suggested to the Government that these play- grounds must be built at the time that the estates are constructed so that land may not lie idle for months afterwards without the children being able to use these facilities for their recreation. That is the point which the Urban Council wishes to make in very clear terms: that playgrounds in Resettlement Estates must be built together with the estates themselves, so that these facilities may be immediately avail- able to the children when they take up residence there.
I do not, Sir, for one moment question the reason put forward by the Director of Public Works for digging up the roads of Hong Kong. What the public questions is the long period in which such roads are not made available again for public use. I cite an example, Sir, I believe it was before July when that stretch of road between Prince Edward Road and Boundary Street was closed to traffic, and until I left for Bangkok a fortnight ago it had not been restored to public
And, that stretch of road is less than 100 yards long.
use.
I subscribe, and so do my colleagues, to the policy statement made by the Director of Social Welfare. We speak virtually with one voice when he says that he realizes the need for all these facilities so that the youth of Hong Kong may be properly brought up and may be given the opportunities which now they so sadly lack. Sir, there is only one reservation that we wish to make and, that is, that all the programmes for the welfare of the youth of Hong Kong cannot be jeopardized by this exaction that Hong Kong should contribute more towards the cost of the Garrison here. These programmes cannot under any circumstances be set back, because youth must be served. Time and tide wait for no man, and these children need schooling and require playing facilities now, not in the years ahead. They are the future citizens of Hong Kong. They must be given every opportunity so that theirs may not be a warped outlook towards the community as a whole.
May I say this, Sir, that as Chairman of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind, I support entirely any move to regulate the use of fire-
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