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However, the apron strings are still very much there, particularly in the form of capital projects which Government are committed to carry out and pay for on behalf of the Urban Council under the Memorandum of Administrative Arrangements. The word that has become the stumbling block is "rephasing". So far as I can make out, rephasing means "certainly not now and perhaps never". I will speak now about rephasing so far as regards the recreation and amenities aspect of our work only, though later on, I will have something about the Cultural Complex.
To say there are a number of projects which have been rephased. I have in mind particularly four big projects namely the Ho Man Tin Outdoor Stadium, the Morrison Hill Indoor Games Centre, the Causeway Bay Velodrome and the Hom Hum Indoor Stadium. The first three are frustrating enough because the sites are available and the only thing that prevents work going ahead is finance. However, the case of the Hom Hum Indoor Stadium is even more exasperating. This Stadium will form part of the Hom Hum Railway Terminus, so of course, it could not be built until the terminus itself has gone up. Now the terminus is nearing completion and is expected to be finished within this year. Does this mean that we can now go ahead with the Indoor Stadium? Of course, the answer is no, because it is at this stage that rephasing has struck.
To make matters worse, suggestions have been thrown around that this project might be given to private enterprise to develop. I am quite sure that private enterprise would dearly love to get its hands on this money-spinning project. This is something we must firmly resist. The Indoor Stadium should be used primarily for sport though it may also be hired out for entertainment. If private enterprise were to run the Stadium, the sole criterion would be money and sport may not be catered for to any great extent or not at prices which young people can afford. Let us be on our guard against this.
On being confronted with rephasing, you, Mr. Chairman, were resourceful enough to conceive the idea of switch finance, whereby the Urban Council would carry out and pay for a project now, on the understanding that Government would pay for a counterpart project at a later date.
However, switch finance has only partly retrieved the situation, because obviously our own financial resources are limited and cannot be stretched beyond a certain point. Still, it has meant that a number of useful projects will now go ahead instead of being delayed indefinitely. To take a small example, switch financing has meant that three beach buildings at Middle Bay and South Bay and Stanley and changing rooms in Big Wave Bay will be constructed and should be completed early in the summer. Mind you, I am saying this with my fingers crossed, because last year, I answered a question from my friend, John MACKENZIE, by stating confidently that some of these beach buildings would be completed in early summer 1974, and here we are still talking about them.
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In the field of active recreation, we are at last making some progress on the provision of Indoor games halls. The first one completed at Kai Tak East has been intensively used since its completion in the summer of 1973. Three new ones at Cheung Sha Wan, Morse Park, and Boundary Street are now in the pipeline. These should be an improvement on the first one, which was by way of a prototype. For instance, they will have Granwood flooring, a type of artificial flooring which, from all reports, seems very suitable for indoor games, being less abrasive than concrete. I am confident these games halls will prove a success and will be intensively used.
One swimming pool complex was completed last year in Kennedy Town. It will be a greater boon to this district, which is sadly lacking in recreational facilities of any kind. Another swimming pool complex will be built in Aberdeen. This is the one for which an anonymous donor has contributed $10,000,000.00. No completion date can as yet be projected for this, but one consolation is that this complex is not subject to rephasing. A further complex may also be built in the near future at Tai Wan Park in Hom Hum, provided our switch finance proposal is agreed to by Government.
Now a word about the Botanical Gardens. Though this has been its name for many years, it is now rather a misnomer. In fact, there is an aviary as well as a collection of mammals there. The aviary has over 1,000 birds of more than 300 different species. We are able to breed a number of species of birds, which enable us to obtain new birds by exchange with zoos abroad. Plans are now in hand for an extension to the aviary. The mammal section has recently been renovated. The old, badly designed cases built twenty years ago have been demolished, and new and better-designed enclosures have been constructed. The work should be completed by the coming Chinese New Year. Already, greatly increased interest is being shown by the public both in the aviary and the collection of mammals. These are obviously of great educational value to school children.
During the summer, there has been the usual tremendous pressure on the swimming beaches, with its resultant problem of litter and
228
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
However, the apron strings are still very much there, particularly in the form of capital projects which Government are committed to carry out and pay for on behalf of the Urban Council under the Memo- randum of Administrative Arrangements. The word that has become the stumbling block is "rephasing". So far as I can make out, re- phasing means "certainly not now and perhaps never". I will speak now about rephasing so far as regards the recreation and amenities aspect of our work only, though later on, I will have something about the Cultural Complex.
to say
There are a number of projects which have been rephased. I have in mind particularly four big projects namely the Ho Man Tin Outdoor Stadium, the Morrison Hill Indoor Games Centre, the Causeway Bay Velodrome and the Hom Hum Indoor Stadium. The first three are frustrating enough because the sites are available and the only thing that prevents work going ahead is finance. However, the case of the Hom Hum Indoor Stadium is even more exasperating. This Stadium will form part of the Hom Hum Railway Terminus, so of course, it could not be built until the terminus itself has gone up. Now the terminus is nearing completion and is expected to be finished within this year. Does this mean that we can now go ahead with the Indoor Stadium? Of course the answer is no, because it is at this stage that rephasing has struck.
To make matters worse, suggestions have been thrown around that this project might be given to private enterprise to develop. I am quite sure that private enterprise would dearly love to get its hands on this money spinning project. This is something we must firmly resist. The Indoor Stadium should be used primarily for sport though it may also be hired out for entertainment. If private enterprise were to run the Stadium, the sole criterion would be money and sport may not be catered for to any great extent or not at prices which young people can afford. Let us be on our guard against this.
On being confronted with rephasing, you Mr. Chairman were re- sourceful enough to conceive the idea of switch finance, whereby the Urban Council would carry out and pay for a project now, on the understanding that Government would pay for a counterpart project at a later date.
However, switch finance has only partly retrieved the situation, because obviously our own financial resources are limited and cannot be stretched beyond a certain point. Still it has meant that a number of useful projects will now go ahead instead of being delayed indefi- nitely. To take a small example, switch financing has meant that three
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beach buildings at Middle Bay and South Bay and Stanley and changing rooms in Big Wave Bay will be constructed and should be completed early in the summer. Mind you I am saying this with my fingers crossed, because last year, I answered a question from my friend, John MACKENZIE by stating confidently that some of these beach buildings would be completed in early summer 1974, and here we are still talking
about them.
In the field of active recreation, we are at last making some pro- gress on the provision of Indoor games halls. The first one completed at Kai Tak East has been intensively used since its completion in the summer of 1973. Three new ones at Cheung Sha Wan, Morse Park and Boundary Street are now in the pipe line. These should be an improvement on the first one which was by way of a prototype. For instance, they will have Granwood flooring, a type of artificial flooring which, from all reports, seems very suitable for indoor games, being less abrasive than concrete. I am confident these games halls will prove a success and will be intensively used.
One swimming pool complex was completed last year in Kennedy Town. It will be a greater boon to this district which is sadly lacking in recreational facilities of any kind. Another swimming pool complex will be built in Aberdeen. This is the one for which an anonymous donor has contributed $10,000,000.00. No completion date can as yet projected for this, but one consolidation is that this complex is not subject to rephasing. A further complex may also be built in the near future at Tai Wan Park in Hom Hum provided our switch finance proposal is agreed to by Government.
Now a word about the Botanical Gardens. Though this has been its name for many years, it is now rather a misnomer. In fact, there is a aviary as well as a collection of mammals there. The aviary, has over 1,000 birds of more than 300 different species. We are able to bread a number of species of birds which enable us to obtain new birds by exchange with zoos abraod. Plans are now in hand for an extension to the aviary. The mammal section has recently been re- novated. The old badly designed cases built twenty years ago have been demolished and new and better designed enclosures have been constructed. The work should be completed by the coming Chinese New Year. Already greatly increased interest is being shown by the public both in the aviary and the collection of mammals. These are obviously of great educational value to school children.
During the summer, there has been the usual tremendous pressure on the swimming beaches with its well resultant problem of litter and
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