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Recreation and young people. In respect of this subject, I must congratulate the Council, and especially Mr. HUTCHINSON and his colleagues on their effort and achievements attained in organizing multifarious recreation activities for the young people in our society. I understand, during the period between 1st April, 1968 and 31st March, 1969, the Urban Council had organized a total number of 267 recreational activities. And since 1st April of this year, it is estimated that these recreational activities have attracted a total number of 350,000 young people and it is expected that the total turn up will exceed half a million by the end of this year. This is something amazing! It is said that young people today are easily frustrated. It is not an uncommon feeling among them that they have been neglected and there is but very little attention given to them and their problems. We must not forget that over 60% of our population today are young people. Some of these young people today will be our leaders tomorrow and if we in any way find them wrong in future in their performance, they are certainly not the only ones to blame.
Recently, I am sure everybody appreciates whole-heartedly that the authority has really done a lot for the young people and at the same time feels satisfied that the young people have reacted so enthusiastically towards these functions. But one may wonder whether or not it would be more profitable on the part of young people if young people could be allowed to take some initiatives in organizing and planning their own activities under supervision. This taking part in the organization is in itself educational. This offers perfect training in self-reliance and it is felt that the organization of activities will produce new information, of one kind or another, that will be of value to young people. In this way, young people will learn to give their utmost and to feel that no hardship or discomfort should stand in their way of achieving a set objective.
It is also important, one may feel, to develop a sense of belonging in the society among the youth and to have this feeling deep-rooted in their progressive mind. Let me take the development of parks as an instance. It is not at all unworthwhile to invite the young minds to participate in the stage of planning. An Auxiliary Park Planning and Construction Team may be formed following more or less the same principle of the Civil Aid Service or the Auxiliary Defence Force. For the technical problems, we leave them to the professionals; there are definitely occasions where our young laymen are useful. They may for instance make suggestions on the provision of facilities of general interest; they may even help in designing some of them. Let them feel they have contributed their share in the development of the society to which they belong. This provides self-satisfaction too.
Young people today must be given the impression that their thoughts and words are highly regarded and in this way they will gradually begin to develop in themselves a sense of belonging in the environment around them. They will feel the society is theirs. I hope that my foregoing points would receive speedy and favourable consideration, and I also hope these suggestions will come into being not in a matter of ten years time but sooner.
With these remarks, I support the Motion. (Applause).
MR. P. S. Woo: --Mr. Chairman, I wish to take advantage of this opportunity to speak on a subject outside the jurisdiction of this Council and what I am about to say is of some importance and urgency, that is "The Renewal of Crown Lease in Urban Area."
At present when a Crown Lease expires, Government will consider conditions of regrant only if the owners of the property jointly and severally undertake to pay a new premium which is calculated according to the market value of the property. This may seem to be a reasonable arrangement to those unaware of the conditions in Hong Kong. However, when one comes to realize that many of the buildings put up in the post war period are owned by hundreds of owners virtually unknown to one another, one will realize that the mere task of obtaining an agreement amongst the owners themselves for the acceptance of the conditions stipulated by Government is exceedingly difficult if not impossible.
If by a chance of luck or as a result of sweated efforts an agreement is reached and the Crown Lease is eventually renewed, further complications could still arise over the payment of premium by instalments. There is at present no legislation whereby the total premium payable can be apportioned amongst the owners of a property and paid by individual flat owners and Government therefore chooses an easy way out by holding all owners jointly and severally liable for the payment of the premium. In normal circumstances demand notes are addressed to all owners but are sent to the address of the owner whose name happens to be the first on the list registered with the Land Office.
The effect of this practice is that whoever becomes the "chosen" man will have to call on all other owners to collect their shares of the premium to pay off the demand note. However, grave injustice begins to be felt when he fails to collect the money from other owners and hence to pay the premium due. In such a situation Government will sue in a court action all the owners for the outstanding premium and this poor devil will be named as the first defendant.
When this happens an individual owner or a few owners together can undertake to pay the whole amount and later take separate legal proceedings against the remaining owners in default to recover what is due from them. Alternatively, judgment is entered against all owners, to be followed by writs of execution levied by the Crown against them individually. In very special cases the Crown may consider as a result of negotiation outside the Court, accepting payment from individual owners if the balance left to be recovered is very small.
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Page 170 of 237
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Page 169 of 237
I
I
314
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Recreation and young people. In respect of this subject, I must congratulate the Council, and especially Mr. HUTCHINSON and his colleagues on their effort and achievements attained in organizing multi- farious recreation activities for the young people in our society. I understand, during the period between 1st April, 1968 and 31st March, 1969, the Urban Council had organized a total number of 267 recreational activities. And since 1st April of this year, it is estimated that these recreational activities have attracted a total number of 350,000 young people and it is expected that the total turn up will exceed half a million by the end of this year. This is something amazing! It is said that young people today are easily frustrated. It is not an un- common feeling among them that they have been neglected and there is but very little attention given to them and their problems. We must not forget that over 60% of our population today are young people. Some of these young people today will be our leaders tomorrow and if we in any way find them wrong in future in their performance, they are certainly not the only ones to blame. Recently, I am sure everybody appreciates whole-heartedly that the authority has really done a lot for the young people and at the same time feels satisfied that the young people have reacted so enthusiastically towards these functions. But one may wonder whether or not it would be more profitable on the part of young people if young people could be allowed to take some initiatives in organizing and planning their own activities under super- vision. This taking part in the organization is in itself educational. This offers perfect training in self-reliance and it is felt that the organi- zation of activities will produce new information, of one kind or another, that will be of value to young people. In this way, young people will learn to give their utmost and to feel that no hardship or discomfort should stand in their way of achieving a set objective. It is also important, one may feel, to develop a sense of belonging in the society among the youth and to have this feeling deep-rooted in their progres- sive mind. Let me take the development of parks as an instance. It is not at all unworthwhile to invite the young minds to participate in the stage of planning. An Auxiliary Park Planning and Construction Team may be formed following more or less the same principle of the Civil Aid Service or the Auxiliary Defence Force. For the technical problems, we leave them to the professionals; there are definitely occasions where our young laymen are useful. They may for instance make suggestions on the provision of facilities of general interest; they may even help in designing some of them. Let them feel they have contributed their share in the development of the society to which they belong. This provides self-satisfaction too. Young people today must be given the impression that their thoughts and words are highly regarded and in this way they will gradually begin to develop in them- selves a sense of belonging in the environment around them. They will feel the society is theirs. I hope that my foregoing points would
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
315
receive speedy and favourable consideration, and I also hope these suggestions will come into being not in a matter of ten years time but
sooner.
With these remarks, I support the Motion. (Applause).
MR. P. S. Woo: --Mr. Chairman, I wish to take advantage of this opportunity to speak on a subject outside the jurisdiction of this Council and what I am about to say is of some importance and urgency, that is "The Renewal of Crown Lease in Urban Area."
At present when a Crown Lease expires, Government will consider conditions of regrant only if the owners of the property jointly and severally undertake to pay a new premium which is calculated according to the market value of the property. This may seem to be a reason- able arrangement to those unaware of the conditions in Hong Kong. However, when one comes to realize that many of the buildings put up in the post war period are owned by hundreds of owners virtually unknown to one another, one will realize that the mere task of obtaining an agreement amongst the owners themselves for the acceptance of the conditions stipulated by Government is exceedingly difficult if not impossible.
If by a chance of luck or as a result of sweated efforts an agree- ment is reached and the Crown Lease is eventually renewed, further complications could still arise over the payment of premium by instalments. There is at present no legislation whereby the total premium payable can be apportioned amongst the owners of a property and paid by individual flat owners and Government therefore chooses an easy way out by holding all owners jointly and severally liable for the payment of the premium. In normal circumstances demand notes are addressed to all owners but are sent to the address of the owner whose name happens to be the first on the list registered with the Land Office. The effect of this practice is that whoever becomes the "chosen" man will have to call on all other owners to collect their shares of the premium to pay off the demand note. However, grave injustice begins to be felt when he fails to collect the money from other owners and hence to pay the premium due. In such a situation Government will sue in a court action all the owners for the outstand- ing premium and this poor devil will be named as the first defendant. When this happens an individual owner or a few owners together can undertake to pay the whole amount and later take separate legal pro- ceedings against the remaining owners in default to recover what is due from them. Alternatively, judgment is entered against all owners, to be followed by writs of execution levied by the Crown against them individually. In very special cases the Crown may consider as a result of negotiation outside the Court, accepting payment from individual owners if the balance left to be recovered is very small.
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