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course we may take, it must be agreed that our intervention in the field of public entertainment has been a success and has met a great need. In consequence, the Government's role in public entertainment ought now to be accepted as a permanent one.

For this reason, the Council has supported the preparations for the first Festival of Hong Kong in no uncertain terms. Not only are we making available all physical facilities that are required but we are actively engaged in the organization. The Festival may be a beginning in the presentation of spectacles and large-scale recreational programmes for the mass of our population. A modest start it may be, but, even for a start, Sir, a programme which consists of about 500 items must cover a wide range of interests and penetrate into many sections of the population. In fact, there is no end to what the public authorities can do to make life more pleasant for those on whose exertions depends our prosperity and on whose goodwill the stability of our institutions. The Festival, too, encourages local talent in many and different fields and will be an incentive for the development of our young people. The Festival must never be an end in itself but, as a mammoth community project, another means of bringing all citizens together in the common desire for a better Hong Kong.

Finally, Mr. Chairman, on local administration. Over the years there has been much discussion both in and out of this Chamber on the measures that can be taken for the orderly development of local government in Hong Kong. The Council has issued two reports, the first one in August 1966 and the second in March 1969, and Mr. Chairman, we hope to issue a third on the form the commissioner for administration at the local level ought to take in our view. There is the belief that the community's interest in matters affecting the lives of our poorest residents can best be served by a down-to-earth approach through strengthening the means to redress those grievances which are within the direct responsibility of this Council. We trust both previous reports have been given full consideration together with the opinions of other people and organizations. This Council feels that the time has come for a decision to be taken as to how the progressive introduction of reforms and improvements in this structure of the public administra- tion should be made. It may be argued as it often is in Hong Kong that the people are happy to leave matters as they are. This may have been so in years gone by but do the young people today hold the same view? It cannot be expected that vast numbers of our youth should be exposed to all currents of thought and be expected at the same time to take no interest in the public affairs of the place where they actually live. Mr. Chairman, there was much talk a year or two ago about the massive support the Government had in our hour of trial and tribula- tion. That, again, may have been so because perhaps the persons holding office in the local and public organizations which then supported

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our Government had themselves voted with their feet in our favour not two decades ago. The question might well be asked: would their successors, who are presumably of local birth, vote the same way in the next round? Step by step, Mr. Chairman, more opportunities must be given to the rising generation to participate in local affairs. It is fallacious to argue that they may not be interested just because their elders were not in their time. Doing so would be to ignore the realities of present-day life in Hong Kong. It would be wise to move forward now in an orderly way rather than to be obliged by force of circum- stances to do so later on, perhaps not in the right direction.

I second the Motion.

(Applause).

MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, time and again we read in the press of statements made by senior Government Officials to the effect that Hong Kong has no natural resources of its own and that it must rely upon the quality of its people to keep Hong Kong stable, prosperous and viable.

This is a self-evident truth which is accepted by all Hong Kong residents, both young and old.

Yet one sometimes wonders whether such statements are made merely as expressions of fact, without any commitment on the part of the Government to plan for and give Hong Kong children the best education that we can afford.

(Mr. Peter C. K. CHAN arrived at this point).

In Japan, it is recognized that a high standard of education has a vital bearing on the quality of the people. As long ago as 1886, in the Meiji Restoration, Japan introduced compulsory primary education. Today, compulsory education has been extended in Japan to a minimum of 9 years. In fact, most students do not leave school until they have finished senior high school, which represents a minimum of twelve years education for the overriding majority of Japanese young people. This rising standard of education has been a prime factor in increasing the economic productivity of the Japanese people.

Furthermore, there are nearly 700 universities, technical and junior colleges in Japan. It is estimated that one out of every five Japanese who is 20 years of age is in an institution of higher learning.

Measures are now being taken by the Japanese Government to introduce in 1970 a University of the Air so that more young Japanese can have the opportunity to seek higher education. As for Hong Kong, it seems that even our seedling Education TV Programme will take another year or two to get off the ground.

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