1973 — Page 171

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

Recently I learned from the newspaper that the Extra-Mural Department of the University of Hong Kong has a new course specially designed for expatriates to learn Chinese. It is said that in 18 months, by spending two hours per week, one not only can speak Chinese fluently but also can write it. Should our expatriates in legal pro- fession choose to serve in this mainly Chinese community as his career they could attend such courses, hence, the main obstacle which prevents Chinese to have equal status as English in courts should undoubtedly be removed.

In Sir Kenneth FUNG's Chinese Language Commttee's Fourth (and final) Report while it pointed out that "it would be patently wrong to relegate the Chinese language to a position of secondary importance”, yet over three quarters of the students in Hong Kong are attending Anglo-Chinese secondary schools; and it went further to say that this was (probably) because it was easier to secure a job in both Government and private enterprises.

In this connection, I must emphasize that one of the basic reasons why more and more students enroll in Anglo-Chinese schools is that up until now there is no opportunity for a Chinese secondary school graduate to study medicine, engineering or law because there are no such professional faculties at all in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. I hereby renew my proposal that the Chinese University of Hong Kong should be authorized to start a faculty of Health Sciences comprising of medicine, dentistry as well as pharmacy. After all, the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University are sister uni- versities having the same Chancellor, His Excellency the Governor, and their only difference is the medium of instruction. This is the time that the University Grants Committee should shoulder up their responsi- bility to see to that our university education is balancedly and soundly developed. The University Grants Committee should realize that the time for outdated colonial type education system is over and if its Members are broad-minded, genuine educationalists with far sight, they should yield no more to the influence of some local so-called educa- tionalists and make up their past mistakes by not depriving the Chinese secondary school graduates' chances of receiving professional training.

With these remarks, I beg to support the motion. (Applause.)

MR. PETER P. F. CHAN (in English):-Mr. Chairman, may I take the opportunity of this annual debate to report and to suggest some points on certain select committee work with which I am more closely associated.

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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In Hong Kong, the annual death rate is roughly above half percent, therefore taking into account our 4.2 million population, 21 thousand people would die in one year. Because of this, it may be said that death, in the form of attending or managing funerals, would be part of the life in Hong Kong. In every case of death, other than those cases where the deceased has no relatives or who is too poor to afford a coffin or a piece of grave plot (which will then be taken care of completely by the Urban Council), death is an expensive thing. The traditional Chinese desire to give face to the dead and to the survivors, make many people fall victim to luxurious coffins that they cannot afford as well as and black market grave plots. (Mr. H. M. G. FORSGATE left the meeting at this point.) With the making of the Private Cemeteries By-laws, it is hoped that the Urban Council will be able to stop, or will have teeth to stop, black market grave plots. The price of coffins, of course, like that of any other commodities, cannot be controlled by any means, and it may not be desirable to attempt to control them after all.

There is a sign that these concepts of having expensive funerals have begun to lose ground, principally I think due to rising costs, and partly due to the fact that surviving relatives realize that expensive funerals do not really pay, as they generally cause a burden which will be felt for a number of years, and sometimes the funerals will exhaust the savings of a lifetime. But the factor most contributing to the quickened "fading" of these concepts is the great improvement of cremation facilities provided by this Council.

Our crematoria at Cape Collinson, together with the Garden of Remembrance a piece of extremely good architecture which was cited in some international professional journals, plus the facilities at Diamond Hill, have proved to be popular and are likely to continue so. The former, I think should be publicized as a tourist attraction. Travelling in Southeast Asia, one can easily find that our crematorium is far more attractive than some of the so-called tourist attractions.

Not only do the Council's crematoria find popular acceptance, but also we begin, on reading the statistics, to sense that their facilities may not be adequate. There are frequent occasions when users must queue for these facilities. It has long been the Council's policy to promote cremation, and during these few years it is gratifying to note that such efforts do bring results, although the Council is probably less successful in some other activities.

Taking this opportunity I should also like to inform members of the public that, after consideration of a more efficient and sophisticated