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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
welfare projects. At the moment, many people are jobless; for our economic stability and development we must tackle this question with utmost urgency.
We must at the same time educate and train an adequate number of personnel, technical or otherwise, to cope with our economic expansion. At present, our young people are left without proper care. They may be very willing to receive such training, and the trouble is that we cannot provide adequate facilities. The special tax which I have just mentioned can also be utilized for this purpose. Since over half of our population are young persons below 21 years of age, the future of Hong Kong very much depends on them. Utmost attention, therefore, should be paid to them. I suggest a special select committee should be set up in the Urban Council to consider and study ways and means to solve our youth problem.
I will conclude my address by citing a very ancient Chinese poem to express the general feeling of the man in the street. The author of this ancient poem was unknown, and it is probably dated back to more than 3000 years ago and reads as follows:
"We ascend that western hill,
And gather the thorn-ferns.
They are changing oppression for oppression,
And do not know their error.
Shin-nung, Yu, and Hea,
Have suddenly lost their influence.
Whither shall we go?
Ah! we will depart!
Withered is the appointment of Heaven."
采薇歌
「登彼西山兮,采其薇矣。
以暴易暴兮,不知其非矣。
神農,虞,夏忽焉沒兮,吾適安歸矣。
吁嗟徂兮!命之衰矣。」
Mr. Chairman, before I sit down, I should express my thanks to you and your staff for your unswerving efforts to enhance the image of the Urban Council. I should also thank most sincerely the Secretary of the Council for his patience and co-operation with us for the past year.
With these remarks, I beg to support the motion. (Applause).
MR. PETER P. K. NG:--Mr. Chairman, this is the second occasion on which I am again given the opportunity in this Council of expressing my views on certain aspects of the Council's work. Before I begin, I
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
327
would firstly like to say that I have been very impressed, especially during the past few restless months, by the spirit of and enthusiasm in the work of the staff of the Urban Services Department. They have not only been holding tight to their posts but also have done far more than what they are normally expected to do. I would like to pay my tribute to them.
I remember last year I touched lightly on "The Regulations and Inspection of Licensed Food Premises". Since then, improvements have been made. I am delighted to see the implementation of the streamlined procedure in entertaining applications for licensed food premises. However, further modification is necessary because I do consider there are still loopholes existing. Also, in my opinion, it is the Department's responsibility as well to advise the public more widely of the modified procedure and see that every person in the business will be able to comprehend its significance. A printed book on this is likely the most suitable answer, and I urge the Department to take this up as soon as possible. As regards doing away with the existing ambiguous, outdated, and impracticable regulations and bye-laws concerning the subject in question, I am afraid that the Department has not been doing enough to meet the purpose. All these regulations are a hindrance to new applications and stepping-stones to possible corruptions. I hope we will look seriously and urgently into this matter and make 1968 a year of revisionism so that our work in this direction will mark another milestone.
It is often said that one usually inclines to exert greater effort and show more enthusiasm in accomplishing an objective that, upon completion, will elevate one's position and draw much attention and applause from the public. It seems to me that the Department is endeavouring to some extent on this principle. Indeed, what we have achieved in our Parks, Recreation, and Amenities is glamorous and is something to be proud of. But this does not mean that we should sit back in our chair with arms folded and close our eyes to the more difficult, yet no less urgent, task that has been awaiting our immediate attention. I am referring to my two familiar subjects, namely: (a) Sanitation, Maintenance, and Cleansing of Multi-Storey Buildings and (b) the Control of Boarding Houses. There is no need for me to elaborate on these two subjects because many eloquent speakers had spoken on them last year. What I wish to add and stress is that we have had enough empty promises already, and it is now about time to expect fruitful actions. I admit this is a hard nut to crack, but there should be no excuse whatsoever for delaying this matter any further. This is a critical problem that justifies top priority of action in one way or another. We should not "wait for the mountain to come"; we should "go to the mountain" and with large strides too, if possible.
Page 177 of 259
Page 176 of 259
326
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
welfare projects. At the moment, many people are jobless; for our economic stability and development we must tackle this question with utmost urgency.
We must at the same time educate and train adequate number of personnel, technical or otherwise, to cope with our economic expansion. At the present, our young people are left without proper care. They may be very willing to receive such training and the trouble is that we cannot provide adequate facilities. The special tax which I have just mentioned can also be utilized for this purpose. Since over half of our population are young persons below 21 years of age, the future of Hong Kong very much depends on them. Utmost attention therefore should be paid to them. I suggest a special select committee should be set up in the Urban Council to consider and study ways and means to solve our youth problem.
I will conclude my address by citing a very ancient Chinese poem to express the general feeling of the man in the street. The author of this ancient poem was unknown and it is probably dated back to more than 3000 years ago and reads as follows:
"We ascend that western hill,
And gather the thorn-ferns.
They are changing oppression for oppression,
And do not know their error.
Shin-nung, Yu, and Hea,
Have suddenly lost their influence.
Whither shall we go?
Ah! we will depart!
Withered is the appointment of Heaven."
采薇歌
「登彼西山兮,采其薇矣。
以暴易暴兮,不知其非矣。
神農,虞,夏忽焉沒兮,吾適安歸矣。
吁嗟徂兮!命之衰矣。」
Mr. Chairman before I sit down I should express my thanks to you and your staff for your unswerving efforts to enhance the image of the Urban Council. I should also thank most sincerely the Secretary of the Council for his patience and co-operation with us for the past year.
With these remarks, I beg to support the motion. (Applause).
MR. PETER P. K. NG:--Mr. Chairman, this is the second occasion on which I am again given the opportunity in this Council of expressing my views on certain aspects of the Council's work. Before I begin, I
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
327
would firstly like to say that I have been very impressed, especially during the past few restless months, by the spirit of and enthusiasm in work of the staff of the Urban Services Department. They have not only been holding tight to their posts but also have done far more than what they are normally expected to do. I would like to pay my tribute to them.
I remember last year I touched lightly on "The Regulations and Inspection of Licensed Food Premises". Since then, improvements have been made. I am delighted to see the implementation of the streamlined procedure in entertaining application for licensed food premises. However, further modification is necessary, because I do consider there are still loop-holes existing. Also, in my opinion, it is the Department's responsibility as well to advise the public more widely of the modified procedure and see that every man in the business will be able to comprehend its significance. A printed book on this is likely the most suitable answer, and I urge the Department to take this up as soon as possible. As regards the doing away with the existing ambig- uous, out-dated and impracticable regulations and bye-laws, concerning the subject in question, I am afraid that the Department has not been doing enough to meet the purpose. All these regulations are a hindrance to new applications and stepping-stones to possible corruptions. I hope we will look seriously and urgently into this matter and make 1968 a year of revisionism so that our work in this direction will mark another milestone.
It is often said that one usually inclines to exert greater effort and show more enthusiasm in accomplishing an objective that, on comple- tion, will elevate one's position and draw much attention and applause from the public. It seems to me that the Department is endeavouring to some extent on this principle. Indeed, what we have achieved in our Parks, Recreation and Amenities is glamorous and is something to be proud of. But, this does not mean that we should sit back in our chair with arms folded and close our eyes to the more difficult, yet no less urgent, task that has been awaiting our immediate attention. I am referring to my two familiar subjects namely: (a) Sanitation, Mainte- nance and Cleansing of Multi-Storey Buildings and (b) the Control of Boarding Houses. There is no need for me to elaborate on these two subjects because many eloquent speakers had spoken on them last year. What I wish to add and stress is we have had enough empty promises already, and it is now about time to expect fruitful actions. I admit this is a hard nut to crack, but there should be no excuse whatsoever for delaying this matter any further. This is a critical problem that justifies top priority of action in one way or another. We should not "wait for the mountain to come", we should "go to the mountain" and with large strides too, if possible.
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