HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. CHAN:-Are you ruling me out of order?
CHAIRMAN:-I am. If you are making a statement, I am ruling you out of order.
(9) MR. D. J. R. BLAKER asked the following question:
(a) What is the present establishment of the Hawker Control Force?
(b) What is the actual strength of the Force at present?
(c) What increases are planned for the establishment of the Force, and when is it anticipated that such increased posts could be filled?
(d) What measures are planned to improve morale and increase the effectiveness of the Force?
(e) When is it anticipated by Government that the Hawker Control Force can achieve effective control on the ground of policies now being worked out by the Hawker Policy Select Committee?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:
The present establishment of the Force is 563, broken down into 514 disciplined and 49 non-disciplined staff. The actual strength is 551, consisting of 502 disciplined and 49 other staff. In other words, the Force is now 12 under strength on the disciplined side.
As regards (c) of your question, no hard and fast plans have been drawn up for expansion of the Force, because it would obviously be desirable to await the appointment of a new Commandant, so that he'll have an opportunity of advising on what numbers of staff he thinks will be needed to carry out the tasks for which he's responsible. The post has been advertised, and a gratifying number of applications have come in. A departmental Selection Board has already begun its work. With any luck, an appointment might be made by some time in September. Now, I don't want to give the impression that the Department is meanwhile sitting back doing nothing, prepared to push the whole thing over on to a newly-appointed Commandant. That's not the case at all. The Department has prepared a draft establishment for a model Division of the H.C.F., on the principle that expansion will take the form of adding new Divisions where required so as eventually to cover those parts of the urban areas with hawker concentrations. But we don't want to commit the Commandant in advance to a scheme with which he might not agree. A useful principle to observe here is that the man who has to carry out a plan should have some say in drawing it up.
However, to avoid leaving the H.C.F. training camp idle after the present recruit squad passes out at the end of this month, we're about to ask for an interim increase in establishment. This increase would be absorbed into existing Divisions which in some cases are rather thin on the ground.
As regards measures to improve morale and increase the effectiveness of the Force, again this is a matter on which we'd like to be guided by the new Commandant. But, for some time, we've been considering such matters as the payment of a special allowance during training; better training facilities at the Brick Hill camp; a wider provision of quarters. A request has also been made to amend the Hawker Control Force Ordinance, so as to give the Commandant and the Director of Urban Services amongst other things power to rid the Force of unsuitable officers.
Turning to the final part of the question, I don't think it's possible at this stage to give any date by which the H.C.F. is expected to be in full control of all hawker concentrations in the urban areas.
For one thing, expansion of the H.C.F. is dependent on the capacity of the training school to turn out trained recruits. The present rate is just under 300 a year which must be matched by a proportionate number of Inspectors and N.C.O.'s, likewise charge-rooms, offices, stores, vehicles, etc. My guess is that it may be 3 years or so before the Force is large enough for us to be able to say that we're on top of the problem.
MR. BLAKER:—Mr. Chairman, since I attach great importance to the calibre of the leadership of the Force, could I be assured that you are gratified not only by the number of applications for the post but also by their quality?
CHAIRMAN:-On paper we are gratified by the quality, but we have still to see the bodies themselves.
MR. FORSGATE: Mr. Chairman, as you have produced a draft model establishment, can you give us any indication what the cost of this is going to be?
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. CHAN:-Are you ruling me out of order?
CHAIRMAN:-I am. If you are making a statement, I am ruling
you out of order.
(9) MR. D. J. R. BLAKER asked the following question:
(a) What is the present establishment of the Hawker Control
Force?
(b) What is the actual strength of the Force at present? (c) What increases are planned for the establishment of the Force, and when is it anticipated that such increased posts could be filled?
(d) What measures are planned to improve morale and
increase the effectiveness of the Force?
(e) When is it anticipated by Government that the Hawker Control Force can achieve effective control on the ground of policies now being worked out by the Hawker Policy Select Committee?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:
The present establishment of the Force is 563, broken down into 514 disciplined and 49 non-disciplined staff. The actual strength is 551, consisting of 502 disciplined and 49 other staff. In other words, the Force is now 12 under strength on the disciplined side.
As regards (c) of your question, no hard and fast plans have been drawn up for expansion of the Force, because it would obviously be desirable to await the appointment of a new Commandant, so that he'll have an opportunity of advising on what numbers of staff he thinks will be needed to carry out the tasks for which he's responsible. The post has been advertised, and a gratifying number of applications have come in. A departmental Selection Board has already begun its work. With any luck, an appointment might be made by some time in September. Now, I don't want to give the impression that the Department is meanwhile sitting back doing nothing, prepared to push the whole thing over on to a newly-appointed Comman- dant. That's not the case at all. The Department has prepared a draft establishment for a model Division of the H.C.F., on the principle that expansion will take the form of adding new Divisions where required so
as
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
139
eventually to cover those parts of the urban areas with hawker concentrations. But we don't want to commit the Commandant in advance to a scheme with which he might not agree. A useful principle to observe here is that the man who has to carry out a plan should have some say in drawing it up.
However, to avoid leaving the H.C.F. training camp idle after the present recruit squad passes out at the end of this month, we're about to ask for an interim increase in establishment. This increase would be absorbed into existing Divisions which in some cases are rather thin on the ground.
As regards measures to improve morale and increase the effectiveness of the Force, again this is a matter on which we'd like to be guided by the new Commandant. But, for some time, we've been considering such matters as the payment of a special allowance during training; better training facilities at the Brick Hill camp; a wider provi- sion of quarters. A request has also been made to amend the Hawker Control Force Ordinance, so as to give the Commandant and the Director of Urban Services amongst other things power to rid the Force of unsuitable officers.
areas.
Turning to the final part of the question, I don't think it's possible at this stage to give any date by which the H.C.F. is expected to be in full control of all hawker concentrations in the urban
For one thing, expansion of the H.C.F. is dependent on the capacity of the training school to turn out trained recruits. The present rate is just under 300 a year which must be matched by a proportionate number of Inspectors and N.C.O.'s, likewise charge-rooms, offices, stores, vehicles, etc. My guess is that it may be 3 years or so before the Force is large enough for us to be able to say that we're on top of the problem.
MR. BLAKER:—Mr. Chairman, since I attach great importance to the calibre of the leadership of the Force, could I be assured that you are gratified not only by the number of applications for the post but also by their quality?
CHAIRMAN:-On paper we are gratified by the quality, but we have still to see the bodies themselves.
MR. FORSGATE: Mr. Chairman, as you have produced a draft model establishment, can you give us any indication what the cost of this is going to be?
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