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furnace to be purchased, the new crematoria at Diamond Hill will be provided in the not too distant future.
The Urban Council is in agreement with government policy to ban additional private cemeteries, but at the same time to allow certain extensions of existing ones for non-permanent burials to achieve economic use of land. This policy goes along with the council's policy to promote cremation. Cremation and exhumation of human remains require plenty of niches, and those in the Urban Council's columbarium and in the columbarium in the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries are in good demand.
There is already a waiting-list for these niches in the Cape Collinson Columbarium, and the Cemeteries Select Committee has already instructed the staff to look into the long term planning of the supply of these niches and the extension of the Cape Collinson Columbarium which is just completed, to provide these facilities in the long term.
Because of the foregoing, I should like to see the Urban Council encourage private cemeteries to build their own columbaria so as to promote a better turnover of grave plots. Some years ago, there was a suggestion of building a high-rise cemetery building.
The idea was abandoned because it was thought the general public probably would not accept it readily. The high-rise columbarium in the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries in Aberdeen has proved to be very popular, and neither the Urban Council nor the authority of these cemeteries has ever received any unfavourable criticism. Therefore, it is worthwhile to look into further high-rise columbarium buildings. The advantages are very obvious—great economy of land and greater convenience to visitors. If these buildings are not far from the Urban area, the public may like them better perhaps.
I have just mentioned that the cost of dying is high, and I think it is the function of this Council to provide or to see that reasonably good, if not first class facilities are made available to the public free, or at reasonable prices. The Funeral Depot at Winslow Street, Hung Hom, now in Category B of the Public Works Programme, will provide such facilities and I think it will be, on completion, popular to the public and the undertakers. The cost of dying with a decent funeral will then be immensely reduced without loss of face and dignity. By then also the years of efforts of the Urban Council may be appreciated by the public.
May I now turn to another subject. The Urban Council has been delegated with certain new licensing powers from the 1st of April, 1973.
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As authority for such licensing, any complaints arising from the public would naturally be directed to the council. It is therefore imperative that proper application procedures, standard and minimum requirements be made known to the public, and on receipt of these applications, that they must be processed with the minimum delay. Generally, members of the public are most concerned over applications for licences for food premises and restaurants, because expensive rents have to be paid during the waiting period; and over applications for licences in respect of temporary structures for public entertainment, because everything is done in a hurry on the part of the applicants.
(Miss Cecilia L. Y. YEUNG left the meeting at this point.)
A sub-committee of the Entertainment and Advertising Committee has commenced work on the improvement of the application forms for licensing structures for public entertainments, and for four types of new licences now taken over by the Council, i.e. for ping-pong rooms, bowling alleys, skating rinks, and billiards rooms. We see no problems in these four types of licence, because they cannot operate profitably unless they are properly built and equipped. In doing that, they more or less fulfil our health requirements. For licensing of permanent structures for public entertainments, we have fewer problems, as the considerable capital outlay and resources available can generally and readily meet fire services and building authority requirements.
The most serious problem facing that sub-committee would be the licensing of temporary structures for public entertainment. Being temporary, these structures are generally constructed with the minimum amount of money and at the shortest possible time, as the date of entertainments is generally predetermined by contracts with the entertainers. The delays generally are caused by inadequate notice being given to the Council, and consequently by the Council to the consulting departments. The sub-committee will work closely with the Fire Services Department and the Building Authority to minimize the delay in the processing of these applications so as to improve the Council's image in these functions, and I am assured that these two departments will give the sub-committee their most co-operative advice and assistance.
Mr. Chairman, may I turn now to a subject beyond the Council's jurisdiction. Being involved in the securities industry, I have to take this opportunity to say a few words on the Securities Bill which first contained 147 sections and, after its first reading, was subject to 150 amendments. Just imagine what the bill would be if these amendments
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Page 172 of 212
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
furnace to be purchased, the new crematoria at Diamond Hill will be provided in the not too distant future.
The Urban Council is in agreement with government policy to ban additional private cemeteries, but at the same time to allow certain extensions of existing ones for non-permanent burials to achieve economic use of land. This policy goes along with the council's policy to promote cremation. Cremation and exhumation of human remains require plenty of niches, and those in the Urban Council's columbarium and in the columbarium in the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries are in good demand.
There is already a waiting-list for these niches in the Cape Collinson Columbarium, and the Cemeteries Select Committee has already instructed the staff to look into the long term planning of the supply of these niches and the extension of the Cape Collinson Columbarium which is just completed, to provide these facilities in the long term.
Because of the foregoing, I should like to see the Urban Council encourage private cemeteries to build their own columbaria so as to promote a better turnover of grave plots. Some years ago, there was a suggestion of building a high-rise cemetery building.
The idea was abandoned because it was thought the general public probably would not accept it readily. The high-rise columbarium in the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries in Aberdeen has proved to be very popular, and neither the Urban Council nor the authority of these cemeteries has ever received any unfavourable criticism. Therefore, it is worthwhile to look into further high-rise columbarium buildings. The advantages are very obvious-great economy of land and greater convenience to visitors. If these buildings are not far from the Urban area, the public may like them better perhaps.
I have just mentioned that the cost of dying is high, and I think it is the function this Council to provide or to see that reasonably good, if not, first class facilities are made available to the public free, or at reasonable prices. The Funeral Depot at Winslow Street, Hung Hom, now in Category B of the Public Works Programme, will provide such facilities and I think it will be, on completion, popular to the public and the undertakers. The cost of dying with a decent funeral will then be immensely reduced without loss of face and dignity. By then also the years of efforts of the Urban Council may be appreciated by the public.
May I now turn to another subject. The Urban Council has been delegated with certain new licensing powers from the 1st of April, 1973.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
273
As authority for such licensing, any complaints arising from the public would naturally be directed to the council. It is therefore imperative that proper application procedures, standard and minimum require- ments to be made known to the public, and on receipt of these applica- tions, that they must be processed with the minimum delay. Generally, members of the public are most concerned over applications for licences for food premises and restaurants, because expensive rents have to be paid during the waiting period; and over applications for licences in respect of temporary structures for public entertainment, because every thing is done in a hurry on the part of the applicants.
(Miss Cecilia L. Y. YEUNG left the meeting at this point.)
A sub-committee of the Entertainment and Advertising Committee has commenced work on the improvement of the application forms for licensing structures for public entertainments, and for four types of new licences now taken over by the Council, i.e. for ping-pong rooms, bowling alleys, skating rinks, and billiards rooms. We see no problems in these four types of licence, because they cannot operate profitably unless they are properly built and equipped. In doing that, they more or less fulfil our health requirements. For licensing of permanent structures for public entertainments we have fewer problems, as the considerable capital outlay and resources available can generally and readily meet fire services and building authority requirements.
The most serious problem facing that sub-committee would be the licensing of temporary structures for public entertainment. Being temporary, these structures are generally constructed with the minimum amount of money and at the shortest possible time, as the date of entertainments is generally predetermined by contracts with the enter- tainers. The delays generally are caused by inadequate notice being given to the Council, and consequently by the Council to the consulting departments. The sub-committee will work closely with the Fire Services Department and the Building Authority to minimize the delay in the processing of these applications as to improve the Council's image in these functions, and I am assured that these two departments will give the sub-committee their most co-operative advice and assistance.
Mr. Chairman, may I turn now to a subject beyond the Council's jurisdiction. Being involved in the securities industry, I have to take this opportunity to say a few words on the Securities Bill which first contained 147 sections and, after its first reading, was subject to 150 amendments. Just imagine what the bill would be if these amendments
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