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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The time is at hand when our Council should act with the strength of our own conviction and fully appreciate the importance of its responsibilities.
Let us be determined that in this age of mechanism in one of the world's most crowded cities, and when there is an imperative need for relaxation and recuperation, we accept the challenge of full responsibility for this aspect of life in our city, realistically, joyfully and on a united front.
With these observations, Mr. Chairman, I have much pleasure in supporting the Motion. (Applause).
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN:- Sir, in the beginning I didn't know whether I could make it to this meeting. However, I am grateful to those who could have withheld me from coming here to have given me the opportunity of coming.
In planning our 14 storeys Mark IV Resettlement Blocks, we might have overlooked the fact that we doubled the number of tenants without doubling the number of shops. That is why we see so many hawkers crowding around these blocks doing excellent business. Ngau Tau Kok is a good example, that is not the only Mark IV Estate that has this feature. Shek Lei and Sau Mou Ping have the same tendency. Markets should be built alongside and should start operating when tenants start moving in.
Among our tenants in the Resettlement Estates, a small proportion come from dangerous buildings under the Rent Advance Scheme. It might have proved a social necessity when the Scheme was launched. Experience has proved that a high proportion of the detected illegal sub-letting were operated by these tenants who did not particularly like to live in Resettlement Blocks, but would not like to lose the advantage of being our Resettlement tenants.
Perhaps it is time to look at the whole scheme again and perhaps these tenants are more suitable for Low Cost Housing which are or will be more readily available in the near future.
People living in our resite area needed to be resettled more urgently than the tenant of Dangerous Building who are always compensated by their landlords under the Landlord and Tenants Ordinance.
It is my understanding that this Council always favours the idea that a child under the age of 10 should be considered as one person in calculating the densities of families living in Resettlement Estate, but the higher authority within the Government has insisted that a child under 10 should always be treated as half of a person. I am sure that we will not dispute that children need more space than adults if they are to grow up in a healthier environment. I may not go so far as to subscribe to some of the Kaifong Leaders' opinion that this might have caused so many incest cases in our resettlement estate, but it is certainly a contributing factor to the increase of juvenile delinquency.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
321
While I am on this subject of juvenile delinquency, I must urge for quicker and more determined effort to improve the supervision of the activities in our playground. It is most disheartening to learn that many parents have specifically forbidden their children to go to playground in fear that they may become delinquents or acquire the delinquent tendency.
Pilot scheme in play-leader and detached work is far too inadequate and proves to be too slow-moving. We must act now, before the problem gets bigger.
Although the Government, through C.D.O. scheme and the liaison section of the Resettlement Department, tried to help to create a community spirit within Estates by helping the formation of Kaifong Associations, the community spirit should spring from each and every block of the estates. Experiment from some voluntary agencies has proved that tenants of the same block are more responsive to the idea of having some community activities of their own as it is far easier to organize. Perhaps block officers of the Resettlement Department can help in this direction if they are given some training in organizational abilities and leadership.
This will probably help to develop better and stronger community spirit within estates and within our whole community.
We have been crying for more open spaces and recreational areas within the Urban district. The ideal area is the Stonecutter Island called "W" in Chinese, I do not know why. It is high time to de-militarize this island and place it within the jurisdiction of the civil authority like the Whitfield Barrack in Tsim Sha Tsui. Some of the beautiful beaches will be within the reach of the public and tourists. I have very strong doubt that it is still of any military value. It is high time that it should be developed for the benefit of the public and the tourist industry.
Sir, with these brief words, I beg to support the Motion. (Applause).
MR. LO TAK-SHING:- Mr. Chairman, in rising to support the Motion, may I first thank you for the indulgence, somewhat uncharacteristic as far as I am concerned, which you will show by complying with tradition and permitting me to speak on subjects in this Annual Debate outside the terms of reference of the Urban Council. I do think it is important for us to annually raise matters not normally discussed...
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Page 170 of 24
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Page 171
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Page 170 of 241
320
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The time is at hand when our Council should act with the strength of our own conviction and fully appreciate the importance of its responsibilities.
Let us be determined that in this age of mechanism in one of the world's most crowded cities, and when there is an imperative need for relaxation and recuperation, we accept the challenge of full responsi- bility for this aspect of life in our city, realistically, joyfully and on a united front.
With these observations, Mr. Chairman, I have much pleasure in supporting theMotion. (Applause).
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN:-Sir, in the beginning I didn't know whether I could make it to this meeting. However, I am grateful to those who could have withheld me from coming here to have given me the opportunity of coming.
In planning our 14 storeys Mark IV Resettlement Blocks, we might have overlooked the fact that we doubled the number of tenants without doubling the number of shops. That is why we see so many hawkers crowding around these blocks doing excellent business. Ngau Tau Kok is a good example, that is not the only Mark IV Estate that has this feature. Shek Lei and Sau Mou Ping have the same tendency. Markets should be built alongside and should start operating when tenants start moving in.
Among our tenants in the Resettlement Estates, a small proportion come from dangerous buildings under the Rent Advance Scheme. It might have proved a social necessity when the Scheme was launched. Experience has proved that a high proportion of the detected illegal sub-letting were operated by these tenants who did not particularly like to live in Resettlement Blocks, but would not like to lose the advantage of being our Resettlement tenants.
Perhaps it is time to look at the whole scheme again and perhaps these tenants are more suitable for Low Cost Housing which are or will be more readily available in the near future.
People living in our resite area needed to be resettled more urgently than the tenant of Dangerous Building who are always compensated by their landlords under the Landlord and Tenants Ordinance.
It is my understanding that this Council always favours the idea that a child under the age of 10 should be considered as one person in calculating the densities of families living in Resettlement Estate, but the higher authority within the Government has insisted that a child under 10 should always be treated as half of a person. I am sure that we will not dispute that children need more space than adult
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
321
if they are to grow up in a healthier environment. I may not go so far as to subscribe to some of the Kaifong Leaders' opinion that this might have caused so many incest cases in our resettlement estate, but it is certainly a contributing factor to the increase of juvenile delinquency.
While I am on this subject of juvenile delinquency, I must urge for quicker and more determined effort to improve the supervision of the activities in our playground. It is most disheartening to learn that many parents have specifically forbiddened their children to go to play- ground in fear that they may become delinquents or acquire the de- linquent tendency.
Pilot scheme in play-leader and detached work is far too inade- quate and prove to be too slow-moving. We must act now, before the problem gets bigger.
Although the Government, through C.D.O. scheme and the liaison section of the Resettlement Department, tried to help to create a com- munity spirit within Estates by helping the formation of Kaifong Associations, the community spirit should spring from each and every blocks of the estates. Experiment from some voluntary agencies has proved that tenants of the same block are more responsive to the idea of having some community activities of their own as it is far easier to organize. Perhaps block officer of the Resettlement Department can help in this direction if they are given some training in organizational abilities and leadership.
This will probably help to develop better and stronger community spirit within estates and within our whole community.
We have been crying for more open spaces and recreational area within the Urban district. The ideal area is the Stonecutter Island called "W" in Chinese, I do not know why. It is high time to de-militarize this island and place it within the jurisdiction of the civil authority like the Whitfield Barrack in Tsim Sha Tsui. Some of the beautiful beaches will be within the reach of the public and tourists. I have very strong doubt that it is still of any military value. It is high time that it should be developed for the benefit of the public and the tourist industry.
Sir, with these brief words, I beg to support the Motion. (Applause).
MR. LO TAK-SHING:-Mr. Chairman, in rising to support the Motion, may I first thank you for the indulgence, somewhat uncharac- teristic as far as I am concerned, which you will show by complying with tradition and permitting me to speak on subjects in this Annual Debate outside the terms of reference of the Urban Council. I do think it is important for us to annually raise matters not normally dis-
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