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I would like to say, have been very helpful themselves in this connection. Another avenue I would like to explore further is whether it might be possible to enlist the help of school children, particularly in resettle- ment estates, in planting and tending trees and shrubs in their neighbourhood.

Mr. No also spoke of the need to develop large parks in the countryside, with a wide range of facilities. In particular, he mentioned two possible areas, from Wong Nai Chung Reservoir to Tai Tam Reservoir, and above Shek O Road to Big Wave Bay Road. Any really extensive parks will have to be considered in the context of the Report of the Provisional Council on the Use and Conservation of the Countryside. (And there is always the problem of catchment areas.) Incidentally, I can assure Mr. FORSGATE that this Report is not quite so vintage as to have gathered cobwebs, and will, I hope, soon be published. In the meantime, more modest developments are in hand at Wong Nai Chung Reservoir (which may be used for boating) and at Shek O Headland which will be used as a picnic area.

Mr. FORSGATE asked if the question of returning to standard time in winter could be re-examined. Returning to standard time does, of course, allow for lighter mornings, and I believe the Ordinance on this was drafted only after consultation with many organizations, associations and even individuals. I am sure, of course, that when Mr. FORSGATE was speaking, he naturally excluded "present company", the executive arm of the Council, i.e. the Urban Services Department, when he said that "Government servants don't start work before 9 a.m." Apart from the staff who work throughout the night, more than 3,600 members of the Department are on duty by 7 o'clock every morning, seven days a week. Many hundreds more are on duty by 8. The bulk of the early starters are employed on street-sweeping so that the streets are clean before the average member of the public begins his day. Their task would be extremely difficult if they had to work in the dark. Others are engaged in the abattoirs so that a fresh stock of meat is available when required during the day; others still attend to parks and playgrounds for the convenience of members of the public who wish to take some form of early morning recreation. My figures cover only the Urban Services Department but I am sure the Police, the Fire Services, the Medical and Health Department, and many other departments could add considerably to my total. And, if Mr. FORSGATE had more senior officers in mind, I would have thought that he could have conceded an extra quarter of an hour or even half an hour for those officials who attend Council meetings which are normally held before 9 o'clock.

Mr. RAFEEK referred to the lack of legislation to protect workers in Hong Kong. On this I can do no better than refer him to His Excellency the Governor's address at the opening session of the

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Legislative Council in October. This made clear that Government had made more progress than met the eye with labour legislation, which is a peculiarly difficult and complicated area, on which much consultation is necessary. Since then, the Workmen's Compensation Ordinance has been revised and changes will come into effect on 1st January with provisions to increase the maximum limit of benefits for injured workmen and bring those benefits more into line with the now generally higher level of wages prevailing. The Governor also advised that draft legislation would, he hoped, be ready for consideration in the near future with a view to:

establishing better priorities for employees' earned wages when a firm is forced to go into liquidation or bankruptcy; enabling workers to take, voluntarily, four rest days a month without breach of their terms of employment, and providing security of employ- ment for women who need to take maternity leave; also extending the right to take statutory holidays with pay to non-industrial workers and improving entitlement to sickness allowances.

Mr. Henry Hu suggested a need for more cemeteries due to the increase in population and said that Government should review its policy regarding new applications to establish cemeteries. The Ceme- teries, Crematoria and Funeral Parlours Select Committee, of which Mr. Hu himself is a member, is clear in its policy on this matter: a policy which has been endorsed by the Standing Committee of the Whole Council, and I do not, therefore, propose to go into detail here. I would, however, like to mention that a main aim of the Council is to encourage cremation. This is listed as item 21(a) in our Statement of Aims for 1970.

With regard to Mr. FORSGATE's reference to the desirability of larger premises for the museum, as Members know, our latest thinking on this is that a specially designed museum building should be con- structed in the northwest corner of the Memorial Garden at the City Hall. Our thoughts have been conveyed to Government and are now being considered. If a decision to build the museum at this site is taken, I have no doubt that architectural planning will take into account the special points about lifts and ramps which Mr. FORSGATE mentioned.

Mr. SALES referred to the need for a Civic Centre in Kowloon to complement facilities at present available in the City Hall and partic- ularly to serve the population of Kowloon. Here again, our recom- mendation has been forwarded to Government and a reply is awaited. The project, as envisaged, is not a small one but comprises an auditorium of more than twice the capacity of the concert hall in the City Hall, together with associated convention, exhibition and restau- rant facilities of some magnitude. It is not reasonable, therefore, to expect a very rapid decision upon this, particularly when it is realized

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