Page 191 of 241
362
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
In August last year, Government received the Urban Council's recommendation on the building of a Kowloon Civic Centre with facilities for theatrical performances and concerts in the 3,000 seat auditorium and also for conventions, meetings and exhibitions, with associated restaurant facilities, similar to the City Hall, but on a larger scale. However, in the absence of a full study of all the implications of this proposal particularly as regards capital and recurrent costs, revenue, usage, etc. and the fact that another emergent Council project had some bearing on the number and type of facilities to be provided, Government has not found it possible so far to make a policy decision upon the proposal and therefore at this stage to include this scheme in the Public Works Programme. The proposal to site the Centre in the former Whitfield Barracks area has not been supported by the Building Priorities Committee.
Following the last meeting of the Standing Committee of the Whole Council last month, the Council put forward a suggestion that the Centre should be sited at Hung Hom near the Railway Terminus and the Indoor Stadium. Details of the cost of this project, together with a fuller presentation of the justification for such a scheme, have still to be worked out, but it would seem to take care of Mr. P. F. CHAN'S scheme for a community hall if it goes through.
It is true that bookings for all the City Hall facilities are extremely heavy, and the Concert Hall and Theatre in particular are often fully booked six months in advance. In the case of Lecture Rooms and Committee Rooms which are available on an hourly basis, bookings are also extremely heavy, especially between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on week days. For the extramural courses offered to the public by the two Universities, special arrangements are made to ensure the continuity of such courses many of which have a high cultural content and are thus the kind of activities this Council wishes to encourage. These special arrangements are, however, reviewed periodically by the Cultural Affairs Select Committee, and, in view of Mr. P. F. CHAN'S remarks, the Select Committee will be asked to consider the matter at its next meeting.
Mr. CHAN suggested that there should be a waiting list, with an appropriate reservation fee, for hirers who have been unable to make a booking for the City Hall's facilities so that when a cancellation arises, the hirer at the top of the waiting list will be given the first opportunity to take over the cancelled date. This suggestion certainly is interesting and will be put to the Cultural Affairs Select Committee for consideration.
Mr. LOBO raised the question of a Public Relations Section for the Urban Services and Resettlement Departments. In 1968 I did, indeed, consider this to be an important matter, and I still do. My
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
363
only regret is that nothing apparent has so far materialized. However, as I said in reply to a question by Mr. C. K. CHAN at the April meeting of the Council, the Information Services Department has a 5-year phased programme, starting in 1970-71, for the strengthening of its services to Departments. This provides for the establishment of information units in certain departments, including both this Department and the Resettlement Department, and I believe that the Information Services Department has included one Senior Information Officer post in the Draft Estimates for 1971-72 for the Resettlement Department. I am informed that, for the Urban Services, there will eventually be a Principal and a Senior Information Officer. There is a shortage of staff of this grade, who are not easy to recruit, but the Director of Information Services has said that he is very conscious of the need to fill the posts as early as possible.
With regard to the hawker problem, I am glad that Councillors, generally speaking, share my conviction that we have at long last arrived at a realistic and workable policy. What remains to be done is to implement it with determination and resolve and without intervention or interference. To do this, we need resources and departmental efforts will be bent to that end-particularly with regard to the Hawker Control Force which now has some 130 vacancies but which, nevertheless, under its new Commandant and Deputy Commandant, has demonstrated what can be done in the way of control. The Force's terms of service will have to be considerably improved before we can be sure of getting the type of personnel we want. Also the Hawker Liaison Section since its formation in the summer of 1969 has done a lot of good work and collected a great deal of useful information about hawkers so that our planning of operations can now be confidently done on a firmer basis than in the past.
The Department has received great assistance in connection with hawkers from other Government Departments, particularly the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, the City District Officers and the Resettlement Department. To them, I express my sincere appreciation.
Much remains to be done in this field, and it is inevitable that such action as is necessary on the ground will meet with a certain amount of dissatisfaction and opposition from those hawkers whose interests are adversely affected and who will no doubt lose no opportunity of appealing to Members. The position, however, is that the policy now being implemented has been formulated and agreed by the Council as a whole, and only after very careful consideration of all the factors, including the need to protect, as well as control, all forms of legitimate hawking. The Council has decided that this policy is the most reasonable, humane and feasible one which can be devised. My staff will try their utmost to do it justice, but they need to be given
Page 192 of 241
Page 191 of 241
362
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
In August last year, Government received the Urban Council's recommendation on the building of a Kowloon Civic Centre with facilities for theatrical performances and concerts in the 3,000 seat auditorium and also for conventions, meetings and exhibitions, with associated restaurant facilities, similar to the City Hall, but on a larger scale. However, in the absence of a full study of all the implications of this proposal particularly as regards capital and recurrent costs, revenue, usage, etc. and the fact that another emergent Council project had some bearing on the number and type of facilities to be provided, Government has not found it possible so far to make a policy decision upon the proposal and therefore at this stage to include this scheme in the Public Works Programme. The proposal to site the Centre in the former Whitfield Barracks area has not been supported by the Building Priorities Committee.
Following the last meeting of the Standing Committee of the Whole Council last month, the Council put forward a suggestion that the Centre should be sited at Hung Hom near the Railway Terminus and the Indoor Stadium. Details of the cost of this project, together with a fuller presentation of the justification for such a scheme, have still to be worked out, but it would seem to take care of Mr. P. F. CHAN'S scheme for a community hall if it goes through.
It is true that bookings for all the City Hall facilities are extremely heavy, and the Concert Hall and Theatre in particular are often fully booked six months in advance. In the case of Lecture Rooms and Committee Rooms which are available on an hourly basis, bookings are also extremely heavy, especially between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on week days. For the extramural courses offered to the public by the two Universities, special arrangements are made to ensure the con- tinuity of such courses many of which have a high cultural content and are thus the kind of activities this Council wishes to encourage. These special arrangements are, however, reviewed periodically by the Cultural Affairs Select Committee, and, in view of Mr. P. F. CHAN'S remarks, the Select Committee will be asked to consider the matter at its next meeting.
Mr. CHAN suggested that there should be a waiting list, with an appropriate reservation fee, for hirers who have been unable to make a booking for the City Hall's facilities so that when a cancellation arises, the hirer at the top of the waiting list will be given the first opportunity to take over the cancelled date. This suggestion certainly is interesting and will be put to the Cultural Affairs Select Committee for consideration.
Mr. LOBO raised the question of a Public Relations Section for the Urban Services and Resettlement Departments. In 1968 I did, indeed, consider this to be an important matter, and I still do. My
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
363
only regret is that nothing apparent has so far materialized. However, as I said in reply to a question by Mr. C. K. CHAN at the April meet- ing of the Council, the Information Services Department has a 5-year phased programme, starting in 1970-71, for the strengthening of its services to Departments. This provides for the establishment of information units in certain departments, including both this Depart- ment and the Resettlement Department, and I believe that the Informa- tion Services Department has included one Senior Information Officer post in the Draft Estimates for 1971-72 for the Resettlement Depart- ment. I am informed that, for the Urban Services, there will eventually be a Principal and a Senior Information Officer. There is a shortage of staff of this grade, who are not easy to recruit, but the Director of Information Services has said that he is very conscious of the need to fill the posts as early as possible.
With regard to the hawker problem, I am glad that Councillors, generally speaking, share my conviction that we have at long last arrived at a realistic and workable policy. What remains to be done is to implement it with determination and resolve and without inter- vention or interference. To do this, we need resources and depart- mental efforts will be bent to that end-particularly with regard to the Hawker Control Force which now has some 130 vacancies but which, nevertheless, under its new Commandant and Deputy Com- mandant, has demonstrated what can be done in the way of control. The Force's terms of service will have to be considerably improved before we can be sure of getting the type of personnel we want. Also the Hawker Liaison Section since its formation in the summer of 1969 has done a lot of good work and collected a great deal of useful information about hawkers so that our planning of operations can now be confidently done on a firmer basis than in the past.
The Department has received great assistance in connection with hawkers from other Government Departments, particularly the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, the City District Officers and the Resettle- ment Department. To them, I express my sincere appreciation.
Much remains to be done in this field, and it is inevitable that such action as is necessary on the ground will meet with a certain amount of dissatisfaction and opposition from those hawkers whose interests are adversely affected and who will no doubt lose no oppor- tunity of appealing to Members. The position, however, is that the policy now being implemented has been formulated and agreed by the Council as a whole, and only after very careful consideration of all the factors, including the need to protect, as well as control, all forms of legitimate hawking. The Council has decided that this policy is the most reasonable, humane and feasible one which can be devised. My staff will try their utmost to do it justice, but they need to be given
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