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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

I think of any valid reason to oppose such a suggestion. In the long run such a move would benefit Hong Kong.

At the same time, I also welcome the idea to enlarge the present scope of the Urban Council and to increase the elected representation in that body. If Government ruled out the idea of having elected members at all in the Legislative Council, then at least the whole of the Urban Council should be gradually composed of elected members. The scope of the Urban Council should be widened not only in quantity but also in quality as well. In other words, not only matters concerning the welfare of the local inhabitants such as educational, medical, and traffic matters should be within the jurisdiction of the Urban Council, but also the Council should exercise its jurisdiction on those matters together with the matters within the present jurisdiction unfettered by the Central Government. I sincerely hope that the Government would speed up the matter and not delay too long.

## Youth problem and education

More than half of our population are youths below 21 years of age. We really have not provided any adequate facilities for airing their views. Some encouragement should be given to them if they can say what they think in a proper channel, such as Chinese publications sponsored and managed by young people. I notice from the categories of persons qualified to vote that any person who has obtained School Leaving Certificate or Certificate of Matriculation has the right to vote, that is category 23 of the voters. But these persons are usually below the age 21, which is the minimum age requirement for voters. So that unless the age limit for this category of voters can be lowered to 18, it may become an empty concession. The United Kingdom has already lowered the age limit to 18 in general. Could we make similar concessions to our youths today who will become pillars of our community sooner or later.

To solve our youth problem, if any, it still lies on the education which cannot depart from the Chinese moral conception. Young people here are different from other parts of the world because they have possessed this background. Any efforts which may weaken this influence should be discouraged. According to this conception, teachers and their contributions are much respected. In private schools, the teachers' income is too low, and I hope ways and means could be found to improve it. In particular, the older teachers after having devoted their whole life to education yet when they become old they have nothing to rely upon. Certain schemes of old-age pension should be considered with the Government's assistance to guarantee the minimum requirement to maintain their living after retirement. Private school teachers after 25 years of service or more are eligible to have such benefit.

# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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In government or subsidized schools, I strongly suggest reverting to the 1.2 system. The present 1.1 system, which was wrongly adopted in 1966, has done much harm to the education of our young students because teachers in such schools have too onerous a burden in lecturing and homework. They have little time and energy still left to them to look after the conduct and individual problems of the pupils. The community as a whole would eventually bear the damage.

In general, in the case of young teachers and civil servants after leaving school, their salary would normally reach more than $7,000.00 per year, and they are immediately liable to pay the income tax under the present limit. The present exemption limit of $7,000.00 per year for personal assessment was fixed perhaps more than 20 years ago. Because of the rising living costs in Hong Kong and also its economic growth during the last 20 years, this figure should long have become obsolete. At the same time, I also understand the disparity of salary between the high-ranking and low-ranking government servants; would it be only fair and equitable to raise the exemption limit for personal assessment from $7,000.00 to $10,000.00 per person per year, whether the person is male or female? And if they have children, then for the first two children, $4,000.00 each, and $2,000.00 each for the subsequent children. I hope the Government could seriously consider this matter.

## Hawker Problem

I now come to the problem of hawkers. 2 or 3 years ago, in the annual debate of this Council, I have already said that the hawker problem in Hong Kong is a social problem. I have urged that other governmental departments should contribute their efforts in solving it. It was only 3 or 4 months ago that this idea was seriously taken into consideration, and the hawker select committee was enlarged. It is a well-known fact that Hong Kong is a significant industrial area in the Far East. Its technique and production may be able to compete with other industrial countries. But here there is still a lack of adequate social and labour legislations or any other serious measures to look after the welfare and interest of low-paid workers. They can be dismissed by daily notice, notwithstanding the fact that they have been employed in the same establishment for a number of years. They can also be dismissed because perhaps the business of their employers dictates so. It is obvious that hawking is a means for making a living for those people who become jobless and have nothing to rely upon. Realizing hawking is a social problem, it is of the utmost importance that we should pay attention to the question of licences. It is often complained that we lack statistics about hawkers which, in my view, could be obtained when the licences are to be renewed. All hawker licences should be renewed yearly. At the time of renewal, the licensing personnel could carefully interview the hawkers and get

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