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DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, to come back to the beginning of your answer. You say that reconstruction of old markets and the construction of new markets has been set at four per year, but it is not certain that funds and staff will be available for this number. Mr. Chairman, would you be able to point out to whichever committee or Head of Department, or the Colonial Secretary or whoever it is, that there is an urgent need for at least four. This is the very minimum figure.
CHAIRMAN:- You will be relieved to know Dr. BELL that I wrote a memorandum on this subject about a week ago.
DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, have you had an answer? When do you expect an answer?
CHAIRMAN:- I shall endeavour to obtain an answer before I retire.
(Laughter).
DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, will that be within twelve months and perhaps before the next Annual General Conventional Debate?
CHAIRMAN:- Certainly, because this is a subject within our jurisdiction, and it will be within three months if I retire on the 31st March.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Mr. Chairman, another point arising out of the question and the answer. In paragraph three you say in the case of vegetables it is proposed that we should provide small stalls suitable for leasing out to small traders at present operating as hawkers. Is it proposed that they should be allocated by ballot, by tender, or has that not yet been decided?
CHAIRMAN:- Can the Chairman of the Markets Select Committee help me please?
MR. WONG:- I am afraid I am not able to answer that question as I have had insufficient time to be able to study it.
CHAIRMAN:- Well, Sir, my advice to the Markets Select Committee would be that they should be treated in the same way as any other market stallholder; that they should be let at auction with an upset price, the upset price being a modest one originally.
MR. BERNACCHI:- I beg leave to differ, because that would not get rid of the number of hawkers at present operating, and therefore would simply add to the number of vegetable hawkers in all, including the small traders, but perhaps it could be discussed at a joint meeting of the Hawkers Select Committee and the Markets Select Committee.
MR. WONG:- I would be very glad to.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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MR. SALES:- Mr. Chairman, may I have the assurance through you from Mr. BERNACCHI that in convening this joint meeting he is not once more trying to absorb the Markets Select Committee into the Hawkers Committee, which he did some years ago?
MR. BERNACCHI:- I think in fact it was I that suggested that the Markets and Hawkers Select Committee be re-established as separate committees.
MR. SALES:- The key word is "re-established"; after having swallowed it, he found the Markets Select Committee hard to digest no doubt.
DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, I am still on this supplementary question of mine. Is this in fact new policy, on the part of Government perhaps, to build new markets, because I understood that the policy of Government some years ago was to build no further markets, but to encourage shops. Has Government now changed its policy, in the light of experience, to build markets?
CHAIRMAN:- No, Dr. BELL, this is not a change on the part of Government. It is a change on the part of Government's advisers as represented by the Urban Services Department permanent staff and, I think I am fair in saying, the members of the Markets Select Committee.
MR. BERNACCHI:- One other question, back to my small traders. The problem of the illicit sale of fish is coming to the forefront again. Could consideration be given to small stores being set up, also for the sale of fish?
CHAIRMAN:- Sir, we will note that for future discussion.
(8) MR. HENRY H. L. Hu asked the following question:-
Would the Chairman please inform the Council how many children between 5 and 8 years of age living in the resettlement estates do not go to schools? What steps will this Council take to encourage them to receive education?
The COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:-
The first part of this question concerns the number of children between the ages of 5 and 8 living in resettlement estates and not attending school. I regret that I received insufficient notice of the question to enable me to collect the figures in time. In particular, the inclusion of children aged 5 complicates the issue since the normal age of entry to primary schools is 6 years. The information could be made available, as on previous occasions when similar
Page 227 of 259
Page 227 of 259
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, to come back to the beginning of your answer. You say that reconstruction of old markets and the construc- tion of new markets has been set at four per year, but it is not certain that funds and staff will be available for this number. Mr. Chairman, would you be able to point out to whichever committee or Head of Department, or the Colonial Secretary or whoever it is, that there is an urgent need for at least four. This is the very minimum figure.
CHAIRMAN: -You will be relieved to know Dr. BELL that I wrote a memorandum on this subject about a week ago.
DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, have you had an answer? When do you expect an answer?
CHAIRMAN:-I shall endeavour to obtain an answer before I retire.
(Laughter).
DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, will that be within twelve months and perhaps before the next Annual General Conventional Debate?
CHAIRMAN:-Certainly, because this is a subject within our juris- diction, and it will be within three months if I retire on the 31st March.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Mr. Chairman, another point arising out of the question and the answer. In paragraph three you say in the case of vegetables it is proposed that we should provide small stalls suitable for leasing out to small traders at present operating as hawkers. Is it proposed that they should be allocated by ballot, by tender, or has that not yet been decided?
CHAIRMAN:--Can the Chairman of the Markets Select Committee help me please?
MR. WONG:---I am afraid I am not able to answer that question as I have had insufficient time to be able to study it.
CHAIRMAN: --Well, Sir, my advice to the Markets Select Committee would be that they should be treated in the same way as any other market stallholder; that they should be let at auction with an upset price, the upset price, being a modest one originally.
MR. BERNACCHI:--I beg leave to differ, because that would not get rid of the number of hawkers at present operating, and therefore would simply add to the number of vegetable hawkers in all, including the small traders, but perhaps it could be discussed at a joint meeting of the Hawkers Select Committee and the Markets Select Committee.
MR. WONG:-I would be very glad to.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
429
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, may I have the assurance through you from Mr. BERNACCHI that in convening this joint meeting he is not once more trying to absorb the Markets Select Committee into the Hawkers Committee, which he did some years ago?
MR. BERNACCHI-I think in fact it was I that suggested that the Markets and Hawkers Select Committee be re-established as separate committees.
MR. SALES: -The key word is "re-established"; after having swal- lowed it, he found the Markets Select Committee hard to digest no doubt.
DR. BELL: -Mr. Chairman, I am still on this supplementary question of mine. Is this in fact new policy, on the part of Government perhaps, to build new markets, because I understood that the policy of Government some years ago was to build no further markets, but to encourage shops. Has Government now changed its policy, in the light of experience, to build markets?
CHAIRMAN: -No, Dr. BELL, this is not a change on the part of Government. It is a change on the part of Government's advisers as represented by the Urban Services Department permanent staff and, I think I am fair in saying, the members of the Markets Select Committee.
MR. BERNACCHI:-One other question, back to my small traders. The problem of the illicit sale of fish is coming to the forefront again. Could consideration be given to small stores being set up, also for the sale of fish?
CHAIRMAN:-Sir, we will note that for future discussion.
(8) MR. HENRY H. L. Hu asked the following question:-
Would the Chairman please inform the Council how many children between 5 and 8 years of age living in the resettle- ment estates do not go to schools? What steps will this Council take to encourage them to receive education?
The COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:-
The first part of this question concerns the number of children between the ages of 5 and 8 living in resettlement estates and not attending school. I regret that I received insuffi- cient notice of the question to enable me to collect the figures in time. In particular, the inclusion of children aged 5 complicates the issue since the normal age of entry to primary schools is 6 years. The information could be made available, as on previous occasions when similar
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