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relation to the eventual release of land areas currently occupied within the urban zones. As a prelude to further consideration on this matter, perhaps you could advise in your reply, Sir, the actual areas occupied by military installations on Hong Kong Island and in the urban areas of Kowloon, because I find it very difficult to find that figure.
Hawkers
Much has been said in this Debate about Hawkers—an astute, aggressive, organized and not insignificant section of our population. There are probably 20,000 hawkers operating alone within our Resettlement Estates contributing to unacceptable conditions of squalour and decay.
The hawker problem has evolved over the years in a tangled web of confusion and corruption. I am appalled by the lack of agreement and decision amongst Members of this Council on methods of implementing stated policy objectives. The time wasted by senior public officers on matters of petty detail in this and other areas is, in my opinion, almost sufficient justification for the Government decision to remove them from the Council in order that they may engage themselves in more important activities.
The suggestion, inherent in the submissions of some Councillors that the hawker population is a poor, persecuted and under-privileged class, is nonsense. Most of the hawking that goes on in Hong Kong today is well-organized business, conducted for substantial profit. Hawkers are engaged in trade, including illegal trade, because through this they can earn more than they could from employment in industry.
The fact is that there are too many hawkers. I do not accept the view that "negotiated resettlement" of the total hawker population is a matter of right, or of concern to this Council. It is accepted that Resettlement Estates and other densely populated areas shall be provided with licensed hawker bazaars. In my opinion, these should be made available on either a tender or agreed allocation basis under strict U.S.D. control. As more of these are provided, there must be systematic clearance of hawkers area by area. If the numbers of applicants are in excess of available places, then the surplus should be invited, with due notice, to seek their livelihood in industrial employment or in other directions.
I see no reason why hawker-free zones should not be created as easily and ultimately as the creation of no-parking areas. This thorny problem is being tackled far too hesitantly, and Government must demonstrate its determination by ensuring that the Hawker Control Force—a sadly neglected body—is properly financed and equipped, and that other essential resources are applied, for the completion of the task. The Urban Council, in its turn, should stop dithering, implement its policies and get on with the job of cleaning up this hawker situation.
Litter and Pollution
I would like to comment on the question of garbage and other pollution. It requires no committee investigations to establish the fact that we are fighting a losing battle in this field, and one must view, with increasing concern, the mass of litter in our streets, the growing pollution of our air, and the despoliation of our beautiful beaches and countryside by unwanted refuse of all descriptions.
Substantial sums of money are being spent by the Urban Services Department in tackling the litter problem, and by the Marine Department in the daily scavenging of the Harbour. It seems, however, that the attack must now be switched from the point of pollution to the source of pollution. In this respect I believe that the imposition of heavier penalties on litter-bugs will prove to be the only effective deterrent.
On the question of presumptive legislation, I consider this as a possible solution, although I accept and understand the reservations which have been expressed by some of my colleagues. Presumably, all of us here accept that it is the duty and responsibility of each citizen, be the householder, ship-owner or industrialist, to keep his surrounding environs clean and clear of debris. Persuasion through education has largely failed and unless we can effectively legislate against offending sources of pollution—whether utilizing this be by presumptive clause or liability clause—I see little hope of creating any improvement in our problem of filth or of success for a "Clean-up Hong Kong" campaign.
At the same time, I support the view that effective measures should be taken to combat pollution from motor vehicles, particularly diesel vehicles which are most offensive to the public; to widen the area and measures of control against both owners and masters of offensive shipping, and to improve methods of sewage treatment and disposal.
Social Welfare
I have only a brief aside to make on the subject of social welfare which must, of necessity, be a matter of increasing public concern in any area of growing affluence. For this reason I welcome the introduction of the Public Assistance Scheme as a significant step forward. This is a useful beginning. In every society, there are those who cannot cope with the pressures of that society, whether for reason of age and infirmity, or from physical, mental or social handicap. It is right
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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relation to the eventual release of land areas currently occupied within the urban zones. As a prelude to further consideration on this matter, perhaps you could advise in your reply, Sir, the actual areas occupied by military installations on Hong Kong Island and in the urban areas of Kowloon, because I find it very difficult to find that figure.
Hawkers
Much has been said in this Debate about Hawkers-an astute, aggressive, organized and not insignificant section of our population. There are probably 20,000 hawkers operating alone within our Resettle- ment Estates contributing to unacceptable conditions of squalour and decay.
The hawker problem has evolved over the years in a tangled web of confusion and corruption. I am appalled by the lack of agreement and decision amongst Members of this Council on methods of imple- menting stated policy objectives. The time wasted by senior public officers on matters of petty detail in this and other areas is, in my opinion, almost sufficient justification for the Government decision to remove them from the Council in order that they may engage them- selves in more important activities.
The suggestion, inherent in the submissions of some Councillors that the hawker population is a poor, persecuted and under-privileged class, is nonsense. Most of the hawking that goes on in Hong Kong today is well-organized business, conducted for substantial profit. Hawkers are engaged in trade, including illegal trade, because through this they can earn more than they could from employment in industry.
The fact is that there are too many hawkers. I do not accept the view that "negotiated resettlement" of the total hawker population is a matter of right, or of concern to this Council. It is accepted that Resettlement Estates and other densely populated areas shall be pro- vided with licensed hawker bazaars. In my opinion, these should be made available on either a tender or agreed allocation basis under strict U.S.D. control. As more of these are provided, there must be If the numbers of systematic clearance of hawkers area by area. applicants are in excess of available places, then the surplus should be invited, with due notice, to seek their livelihood in industrial em- ployment or in other directions.
I see no reason why hawker-free zones should not be created as easily and ultimately as the creation of no-parking areas. This thorny problem is being tackled far too hesitantly, and Government must demonstrate its determination by ensuring that the Hawker Control Force a sadly, neglected body-is properly financed and equipped, and that other essential resources are applied, for the completion of
the task. The Urban Council, in its turn, should stop dithering, im- plement its policies and get on with the job of cleaning up this hawker situation.
Litter and Pollution
I would like to comment on the question of garbage and other pollution. It requires no committee investigations to establish the fact that we are fighting a losing battle in this field, and one must view, with increasing concern, the mass of litter in our streets, the growing pollution of our air, and the despoliation of our beautiful beaches and countryside by unwanted refuse of all descriptions.
Substantial sums of money are being spent by the Urban Services Department in tackling the litter problem, and by the Marine Depart- ment in the daily scavaging of the Harbour. It seems, however, that the attack must now be switched from the point of pollution to the source of pollution. In this respect I believe that the imposition of heavier penalties on litter-bugs will prove to be the only effective deterrent.
On the question of presumptive legislation, I consider this as a possible solution, although I accept and understand the reservations which have been expressed by some of my colleagues. Presumably, all of us here accept that it is the duty and responsibility of each citizen, be the householder, ship-owner or industrialist, to keep his surrounding environs clean and clear of debris. Persuasion through education has largely failed and unless we can effectively legislate against offending sources of pollution-whether utilizing this be by presumptive clause or liability clause-I see little hope of creating any improvement in our problem of filth or of success for a "Clean-up Hong Kong" campaign.
At the same time, I support the view that effective measures should be taken to combat pollution from motor vehicles, particularly diesal vehicles which are most offensive to the public; to widen the area and measures of control against both owners and masters of offensive ship- ping, and to improve methods of sewage treatment and disposal.
Social Welfare
I have only a brief aside to make on the subject of social welfare which must, of necessity, be a matter of increasing public concern in any area of growing affluence. For this reason I welcome the intro- duction of the Public Assistance Scheme as a significant step forward. This is a useful beginning. In every society, there are those who can- not cope with the pressures of that society, whether for reason of age and infirmity, or from physical, mental or social handicap. It is right
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