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while fully participating in the Council's activities at the same time, if their membership is to serve the public interest.
The Council has been a bee-hive of activity. Still, we must always evaluate whether and how all activities serve the community. If energy is dissipated on inconsequential matters, or we are lost in a maze of details, not being able to see the wood for the trees, as it were, we would certainly not be as effective and successful as we would wish.
Let us know clearly what our aims are. Just as important, let us know how to reach these aims. In practice, we must zero in on our targets and monitor our programmes for this one purpose. We must assess the effectiveness of our structure and organization and examine whether our procedures are best designed to do the work we want. This is an unceasing task.
For sure, the Council in its present form is a new way of life for Hong Kong. So, we must watch our step all the time. Anything we do that is different or is a variation of previously agreed practice creates a precedent.
(Mr. Peter C. K. CHAN and Miss Cecilia L. Y. YEUNG arrived at this point.)
Hong Kong is now living in rapidly changing times and in circumstances mostly not of its own choice or making. Conditions may be vastly different in the future. Our Council must be alert for trends and tendencies and be capable of changing, too. At the least, we must keep pace with the changes taking place all about us; by preference, we must anticipate the needs of the people and help give substance to their aspirations for a better life. The years immediately ahead should see us pressing forward all together; we must never be bogged down by uncertainty and indecision nor lost in contention and division.
Of course, Council has worked very well indeed as a team.
If we have succeeded in discharging our responsibilities well, it is the result of a strong collective effort in partnership with the Urban Services Department. Certainly, we have been well served by the Department working closely with our select committees and sub-committees. This response on their part has been most gratifying.
By all means, let us debate the great issues facing Hong Kong today. Surely now more than ever before, there is a call for a searching public examination of Hong Kong's circumstances. Yes, let us pinpoint what has gone wrong and perhaps where Hong Kong has failed to take the necessary measures in good time to meet the challenges confronting us, not to cry over spilt milk, but to draw firm conclusions and then go all out to take whatever new measures as might be necessary for the good of the people as a whole. We must stand firmly together to meet the difficulties already in evidence and to overcome such obstacles as would stand in the way of our progress. And, if we do not do so urgently, our progress will falter and the expectation of our people for a rising standard of living will come to naught. We must do all we can to keep up that dynamic progress for which Hong Kong is renowned. To this end, our Council pledges full support.
I move "THAT this Council endorse The Statement of Aims for 1975." (Applause).
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI (in English): --Mr. Chairman, I am happy to second your motion.
The first part of my speech is devoted to reporting to the Council about the Committees of which the Council does the honour of making me the Chairman and about Urban Council work generally.
Hawkers Appeal Sub-Committee: I think Mrs. Elsie ELLIOTT and Mr. Charles SIN (my fellow members) will agree with me when I stress the extreme value of interviewing the hawkers personally who appeal against a decision of the Urban Council. It is somehow or other very easy at the interview to distinguish the real hawker from the person that wants a hawker licence for improper reasons or purposes such as sub-letting, or even triad activities. Also, almost incidentally, we get a good insight into the hawkers' problems which more than once has resulted in our recommending to the main Select-Committee changes in policy. In my opinion, although the Urban Council gets most good publicity in things like Recreation or the various aspects of the City Hall, really we have the closest contact with the citizens of Hong Kong in our less popular activities such as hawking, especially in this hard time of economic chaos and unemployment, when so many people almost have to go on the street to hawk. I only hope that the plan to have free hawking districts is a success and can be later enlarged.
Museum and Art Gallery: I have been a member of the Museum and Art Gallery Select-Committee ever since it was established and this year's Chairman. 10 years or more ago we had a lot of Sub-Committees for the purpose of drawing up a report with recommendations for the development of the Museum and Art Gallery, which was eventually issued in September 1965. This report, which makes interesting
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Page 125
Page 126
"
Page 125 of 187
210
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
while fully participating in the Council's activities at the same time, if their membership is to serve the public interest.
The Council has been a bee-hive of activity. Still, we must always evaluate whether and how all activities serve the community. If energy is dissipated on inconsequential matters, or we are lost in a maze of details, not being able to see the wood for the trees, as it were, we would certainly not be as effective and successful as we would wish.
Let us know clearly what our aims are. Just as important, let us know how to reach these aims. In practice, we must zero in on our targets and monitor our programmes for this one purpose. We must assess the effectiveness of our structure and organization and examine whether our procedures are best designed to do the work we want. This is an unceasing task.
For sure, the Council in its present form is a new way of life for Hong Kong. So, we must watch our step all the time. Anything we do that is different or is a variation of previously agreed practice creates a precedent.
(Mr. Peter C. K. CHAN and Miss Cecilia L. Y. YEUNG arrived at this Point.)
Hong Kong is now living in rapidly changing times and in circum- stances mostly not of its own choice or making. Conditions may be vastly different in the future. Our Council must be alert for trends and tendencies and be capable of changing, too. At the least, we must keep pace with the changes taking place all about us; by preference, we must anticipate the needs of the people and help give substance to their aspirations for a better life. The years immediately ahead should see us pressing forward all together; we must never be bogged down by uncertainty and indecision nor lost in contention and division.
Of course, Council has worked very well indeed as a team.
If we have succeeded in discharging our responsibilities well, it is the result of a strong collective effort in partnership with the Urban Services Department. Certainly, we have been well served by the Department working closely with our select committees and sub-committees. This response on their part has been most gratifying.
By all means, let us debate the great issues facing Hong Kong today. Surely now more than ever before, there is a call for a searching public examination of Hong Kong's circumstances. Yes, let us pin-
now
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
211
point what has gone wrong and perhaps where Hong Kong has failed to take the necessary measures in good time to meet the challenges confronting us, not to cry over spilt milk, but to draw firm con- clusions and then go all out to take whatever new measures as might be necessary for the good of the people as a whole. We must stand firmly together to meet the difficulties already in evidence and to over- come such obstacles as would stand in the way of our progress. And, if we do not do so urgently, our progress will falter and the expectation of our people for a rising standard of living will come to naught. We must do all we can to keep up that dynamic progress for which Hong Kong is renowned. To this end, our Council pledges full support.
I move "THAT this Council endorse The Statement of Aims for 1975." (Applause).
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI (in English): --Mr. Chairman, I am happy to second your motion.
The first part of my speech is devoted to reporting to the Council about the Committees of which the Council does the honour of making me the Chairman and about Urban Council work generally.
Hawkers appeal Sub-Committee: I think Mrs. Elsie ELLIOTT and Mr. Charles SIN (my fellow members) will agree with me when I stress the extreme value of interviewing the hawkers personally who appeal against a decision of the Urban Council. It is somehow or other very easy at the interview to distinguish the real hawker from the person that wants a hawker licence for improper reasons or purposes such as sub-letting, or even triad activities. Also, almost incidentally, we get a good insight into the hawkers' problems which more than once has resulted in our recommending to the main Select-Committee changes in policy. In my opinion, although the Urban Council gets most good publicity in things like Re-creation or the various aspects of the City Hall, really we have the closest contact with the citizens of Hong Kong in our less popular activities such as hawking, especially in this hard time of economic chaos and unemployment, when so many pepole almost have to go on the street to hawk. I only hope that the plan to have free hawking districts is a success and can be later enlarged.
Museum and Art Gallery: I have been a member of the Museum and Art Gallery Select-Committee ever since it was established and this year's Chairman. 10 years or more ago we had a lot of Sub-Com- mittees for the purpose of drawing up a report with recommendations for the development of the Museum and Art Gallery, which was even- tually issued in September 1965. This report, which makes interesting
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