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most of the participants in the disturbances were comparatively poorly educated, poorly housed and poorly employed, as has been shown to be the pattern in many other riots elsewhere, and there was a feeling among social workers who gave evidence that, since demonstrations and rioting are abnormal behaviour in Hong Kong, there must be economic and social reasons for the disturbances. Alternatively, it was suggested that the existence of an undercurrent of suppressed frustrations and resentment provided fuel for the spread of the disturbances. The factors most frequently alluded to were deficiencies or defects in (I) Housing, (II) Environment: physical and social, (III) Education and (IV) Community spirit.
The Government has learned nothing from past errors.
Most of the matters cited as possible causes of the 1966 disturbances are present today; many of them, especially housing, are worse today; and moreover, more people are affected today than in 1966.
To these problems I can suggest no solution until the people of this Colony are represented on the Government, instead of being forced to suffer from the maladministration and the mindless legislation of self-seeking businessmen.
Mr. Chairman, with the reservations mentioned earlier, I support the Motion. (Applause).
MR. HENRY H. L. Hu (in English):-Mr. Chairman, in this Annual Debate, I originally want to speak in Chinese; but in view of the fact that I can not speak Cantonese well enough, so I still speak in English. I hope that in the near future, the Mandarin could also be introduced in a public meeting side by side with Cantonese. (Laughter). I advocate this not only for the benefit of those people who can not speak Cantonese well (I myself), but also for those who can speak Cantonese well; it is for their benefit that they should also understand Mandarin. (Laughter). I hope that efforts could be made in the coming year, so that not very long one can speak Mandarin in this public Debate.
After expressing my wish on this important issue, Mr. Chairman, I think I should confine myself in today's Debate on the question of hawkers. Hawkers in this city is a particular problem and it would be difficult to find the identical situation in other parts of the world. In Hong Kong, it is a naturally grown phenomenon and has a social background and need for it. If there is lack of general patronage of hawkers, then of course they cannot exist. Our survey shows that about 60% of housewives at least shop for food twice a day and over 90% go shopping on foot, travelling a distance which on average takes less than 10 minutes. It is a common phenomenon to show that people tend to buy foodstuffs and other low unit value goods from hawkers whereas the purchase of more expensive and luxury items are done in proper shops. It also shows that the average household in Hong Kong buys about 20% of all its foodstuffs from hawkers and that this figure represents about 9% of the total household budget. About 70% to 80% of fruit and vegetables are purchased from hawkers. Therefore, hawking is a necessary link in the economic life of Hong Kong.
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The Urban Council has sometimes been criticised that for long time we have not solved the hawker problem. But the Council has been working very hard and conscientiously for this problem. The particular characteristics of Chinese people for wishing to live independently also contributes the popularity of hawking. If they can earn their own living, they do not like to live on social assistance. On the other hand, it is also obvious that in Hong Kong we also lack of social legislation to protect the workers when they are out of job. We have already at the present over 200,000 people out of job; hawking has provided an effective economic value for such otherwise a serious situation. In my observation, with exception of cooked-food-stall business, if young people can have their proper work, they would not like to hawk.
In the past, we have so far only tried the negative approach to deal with hawker problem; we have concentrated to control them by way of imposing heavy penalty and confiscation of their goods or by way of limiting the issue of licences. We have not explored enough the positive way to solve this problem. It is the time for us to think it over again. A simple principle for such positive approach is that we should provide a chance for those people who should rely hawking for their living: a chance to hawk but not necessarily a fixed place for hawking. I should think it would be a mistake to turn pedlar hawkers to be static hawkers because in doing so we provide a place to hawking but deprive many people a chance for hawking.
Having analysed the problem on general terms, I propose that we should think to tackle this problem on the following lines: ---First, we should liberalize our licences policy: for those people who need hawking, we should give them a licence. It is not necessary that they should have place to hawk but they should have equal chance to hawk. So far as expenditure is concerned in Urban Council, the Hawkers Select Committee has so far spent very little money, I therefore propose that at the present moment, we should not increase any hawker licence fee. The Council should only pay great attention on the hygienic condition of the goods sold.
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**
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most of the participants in the disturbances were com paratively poorly educated, poorly housed
and poorly employed, as has been shown to be the pattern in many other riots elsewhere, and there was a feeling among social workers who gave evidence that, since demonstrations and rioting are abnormal behaviour in Hong Kong, there must be economic and social reasons for the disturbances. Alternatively, it was suggested that the existence of an undercurrent of suppressed frustrations and resentment provided fuel for the spread of the disturbances. The factors most frequently aliuded to were deficiencies or defects in (I) Housing, (II) Environment: physical and social, (iii) Education and (IV) Community spirit.”
The Government has learned nothing from past errors.
Most of the matters cited as possible causes of the 1966 disturbances are present today; many of them, especially housing, are worse today; and moreover, more people are affected today than in 1966.
To these problems I can suggest no solution until the people of this Colony are represented on the Government, instead of being forced to suffer from the maladministration and the mindless legislation of self- seeking businessmen.
Mr. Chairman, with the reservations mentioned earlier, I support the Motion. (Applause).
MR. HENRY H. L. Hu (in English):-Mr. Chairman, in this Annual Debate, I originally want to speak in Chinese; but in view of the fact that I can not speak Cantonese well enough, so I still speak in English. I hope that in the near future, the Mandarin could also be introduced in a public meeting side by side with Cantonese. (Laughter). I advocate this not only for the benefit of those people who can not speak Cantonese well (I myself), but also for those who can speak Cantonese well; it is for their benefit that they should also understand Mandarin. (Laughter). I hope that efforts could be made in the coming year, so that not very long one can speak Mandarin in this public Debate.
After expressing my wish on this important issue, Mr. Chairman, I think I should confine myself in today's Debate on the question of hawkers. Hawkers in this city is a particular problem and it would be difficult to find the identical situation in other parts of the world. In Hong Kong, it is a naturally grown phenomenon and has a social back- ground and need for it. If there is lack of general patronage of hawkers, then of course they cannot exist. Our survey shows that about 60% of housewives at least shop for food twice a day and over 90%
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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go shopping on foot, travelling a distance which on average takes less than 10 minutes. It is a common phenomenon to show that people tend to buy foodstuffs and other low unit value goods from hawkers whereas the purchase of more expensive and luxury items are done in proper shops. It also shows that the average household in Hong Kong buys about 20% of all its foodstuffs from hawkers and that this fugure represents about 9% of the total household budget. About 70% to 80% of fruit and vegetables are purchased from hawkers. Therefore, hawking is a necessary link in the economic life of Hong Kong. The Urban Council has sometimes been criticised that for long time we have not solved the hawker problem. But the Council has been working very hard and conscientiously for this problem. The particular charac- teristics of Chinese people for wishing to live independently also contributes the popularity of hawking. If they can earn their own living, they do not like to live on social assistance. On the other hand, it is also obvious that in Hong Kong we also lack of social legislation to protect the workers when they are out of job. We have already at the present over 200,000 people out of job; hawking has provided an effective economic value for such otherwise a serious situation. In my observation, with exception of cooked-food-stall business, if young people can have their proper work, they would not like to hawk.
In the past, we have so far only tried the negative approach to deal with hawker problem; we have concentrated to control them by way of imposing heavy penalty and confiscation of their goods or by way of limiting the issue of licences. We have not explored enough the positive way to solve this problem. It is the time for us to think it over again. A simple principle for such positive approach is that we should provide a chance for those people who should rely hawking for their living: a chance to hawk but not necessarily a fixed place for hawking. I should think it would be a mistake to turn pedlar hawkers to be static hawkers because in doing so we provide a place to hawking but deprive many people a chance for hawking.
Having analysized the problem on general terms, I propose that we should think to tackle this problem on the following lines: ---First, we should liberalize our licences policy: for those people who need hawking, we should give them a licence. It is not necessary that they should have place to hawk but they should have equal chance to hawk. So far as expenditure is concerned in Urban Council, the Hawkers Select Committee has so far spent very little money, I therefore propose that at the present moment, we should not increase any hawker licence fee. The Council should only pay great attention on the hygienic condition of the goods sold.
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