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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

For this purpose, the Council has set up its own Tender Boards and Sub-Committees in which Councillors, with their diversity of experience, are actively involved in getting the best terms possible for Urban Council franchises and contracts, and in seeing that purchases on behalf of the Council are fair, reasonable and in accordance with Council requirements.

Furthermore, since the Urban Council has to repay the Central Government for the salaries of some 15,000 members of the Urban Services Department operating in the urban areas, we have a public duty to make sure that the Council receives a high level of performance and dedicated effort from the staff, and that there is no unnecessary staff increase or slackness in work.

Rather should we aim for stabilization in the size of our establish- ment, and with getting the right type of recruits for existing vacancies. We should also aim for a much higher quality and standard of per- formance, with adjustments in pay scales and higher qualifications for the job where the situation demands it.

All this calls for a regular review of training programmes, tighter supervision of what Urban Services Department staff are doing es- pecially at the point where they have day-to-day contact with the public, and improving their sense of discipline, loyalty and enthusiasm for the job, not to mention an ever-courteous attitude to members of the public.

This is all the more necessary in view of the reorganization of the Urban Services Department into ten urban districts along the boundaries of the ten City District Offices.

Each Urban Region is under the command of an Urban Services Officer who is responsible for supervising and managing all the services, including recreation, cultural, public hygiene, hawkers, street cleansing, etc. for which the Urban Council has statutory control.

Through such regional delegation of responsibility it is expected that the Urban Council with the Urban Services Department as its executive arm will be even more alert and responsive to the special wants and needs of the residents of each Urban Services District.

In so doing, we would expect to reduce red tape, improve com- munication links between the Urban Council and the ordinary citizens, spend public money wisely, and cut down the opportunities for cor- ruption and administrative errors.

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It cannot be over-emphasized that the Urban Council, which com- prises 24 Unofficials, half elected and half appointed, should take it up as a challenge and a public duty to go all-out to convince the public that the Council means business in its relentless fight against corruption and in its striving for the highest standards of public service possible within the Council and the Department.

In accepting this challenge and duty, we will be on our way towards the goal of transforming Hong Kong into a greater, better and more beautiful city than it was transmitted to us, and into a richer melting pot of East-West culture and progressive change.

Mr. Chairman, I have pleasure in seconding the motion. (Ap- plause.)

CHAIRMAN (in English):-Thank you, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN. The motion has now been proposed by me, and seconded by Mr. CHEONG- LEEN as Vice-Chairman. Members are now invited to speak in the agreed order. First, Mr. BERNACCHI.

MR. B. A. BERNACCHI (in English):-Mr. Chairman, this afternoon I am going to take advantage of the Annual Conventional Debate to speak about three things not within the jurisdiction of this twopenny- halfpenny or, should I call it, this $10-a-vote, council. As regards any report on my chairmanship of the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee, I am now able to present that on another occasion. The three topics that I would like to speak on, which should be within the jurisdiction of this Council but which are not, are inflation, corruption and housing.

I call upon the Government to introduce immediately concrete measures to control inflation. The Hong Kong dollar is becoming almost the value of a piece of lavatory paper. This danger of inflation has been the warning and the plea of the Reform Club for several years, and unfortunately it is becoming all too true. The cost of every thing is going up, not just 10 cents but double, treble and even more times what it was last year—in particular the cost of food. There is still no control on rentals of business and factory premises. I used to think that being a member of this Urban Council, I had, partly, the care of the everyday needs of the citizens of Hong Kong, but that is now by no means the case. I know that it is not all the Hong Kong Government's fault. Influences outside Hong Kong are also contribut- ing. But nevertheless, this laissez-faire system of Government must stop, and proper price controls and rent controls be introduced now.