Page 110 of 154
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(i) Death Sentence Should be Executed
I strongly believe all advocators for the execution of death sentence, including me, do not like killing. We advocate this because it will prevent more law-abiding citizens from being killed. We insist on having death sentence because this will give us greater degree of protection for our property and enable us to live and work in peace without the fear of the thugs.
Somebody says that as there is no death sentence in U.K., there should be no death sentence in Hong Kong either. However, I think that laws should only meet the wish of the people and should not be against it. If the broad mass of the people of Hong Kong unanimously express a strong wish for death sentence and provided we do not take advantage of this strong wish to run for councillorship and to seek publicity, the British Government in London, if it is wise enough, should not turn down our demand all the time.
(ii) Of course, I should only be too glad to see that we will be able to have a modern-aged political system and an up-to-date set of labour laws in Hong Kong and to implement the recommendations of the White Paper on Education, the sooner the better, but it will take at least 8 to 10 years before these three things may produce any effect in improving the law and order situation. I can well say that even if these three things are realised, still there will not be much use if they are not supplemented with realistic laws. It will not be too difficult to understand this if we take a look at the situation in U.K. and U.S.A.
Mr. Chairman, I regret to say that I cannot bring myself to agree with the so-called work "to co-ordinate publicity on behalf of the Council" of the Administration Select Committee as listed in the Statement of Aims for 1976-77 because the Administration Select Committee may make use of this clause to intervene in the work of other select committees. This is a matter of principle and, in my opinion, only the Standing Committee of the Whole Council may have the power to do so. Moreover, judging from the performance of the members of that select committee over the past few years, it seems that they are not competent enough to discharge this duty very effectively. Such an arrangement may only damage the prestige of this Council.
For this reason, I have to object to your motion.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. PETER P. F. CHAN (in English):—Mr. Chairman, may I take this opportunity to review the work of the Markets and Abattoirs Select Committee.
In the past year, the Council's relations with the trade have been the best ever. Regular and friendly consultations with the Guilds and their members, both formal and informal, have enabled the Council to implement smoothly many of its policies and decisions.
The unanimous opinion of the trade is that only ground-floor markets are viable, and to satisfy this opinion, last year, we adopted a construction programme comprising 10 temporary single-storey markets along the lines of the successful Jordan Valley and Mong Kok temporary markets. This programme will result in the re-provisioning of the six existing markets and the provision of 4 new markets by the end of 1979-80, by which time, four permanent 2-storey markets are also scheduled for completion. The construction of these markets and their firm management will go a long way towards helping our Vice-Chairman and the Hawkers Select Committee solve a number of hawker problems which appear, at times, to be intractable.
Consultations, and the establishment of a good relationship with the various trades, have also solved some problems arising from the location of stalls in the new Mong Kok Market. When it is finished in August this year, those who wish to move into the new market may do so according to the agreed formula and those who wish to stay in the temporary market may do so if they choose. Under these arrangements, a number of hawkers who are not at present trading in markets can be accommodated.
Through discussions with the trade, it is hoped to convince stall-holders that a reasonable increase in market rents (which were last increased in 1964) should be absorbed by them. The increased revenue will be very useful to the Council in reducing the present financial deficit in market operations.
The practice of allowing up to four co-tenants to operate one market stall of limited size, clearly allowing what amounts to perpetual succession to that stall. In this day and age, perpetual succession is to nobody's advantage except, of course, those fortunate stall-holders who have long enjoyed unrealistic rents. A more business-like approach would be to place market stalls on a lease to one person for a fixed period with an option to renew. This approach will, in fact, be adopted in future new markets and consultations with those concerned will hopefully result in a similar approach being adopted in respect of existing market stall leases.
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Page 111
Page 110 of 154
187
186
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(i) Death Sentence Should be Executed
I strongly believe all advocators for the execution of death sentence, including me, do not like killing. We advocate this because it will prevent more law-abiding citizens from being killed. We insist on having death sentence because this will give us greater degree of protection for our property and enable us to live and work in peace without the fear of the thugs.
Somebody says that as there is no death sentence in U.K., there should be no death sentence in Hong Kong either. However, I think that laws should only meet the wish of the people and should not be against it. If the broad mass of the people of Hong Kong unanimously express a strong wish for death sentence and provided we do not take advantage of this strong wish to run for councillorship and to seek publicity, the British Government in London, if it is wise enough, should not turn down our demand all the time.
(ii) Of course, I should only be too glad to see that we will be able to have a modern-aged political system and an up-to-date set of labour laws in Hong Kong and to implement the recommendations of the White Paper on Education, the sooner the better, but it will take at least 8 to 10 years before these three things may produce any effect in improving the law and order situation. I can well say that even if these three things are realised, still there will not be much use if they are not supplemented with realistic laws. It will not be too difficult to understand this if we take a look at the situation in U.K. and U.S.A.
Mr. Chairman, I regret to say that I cannot bring myself to agree with the so-called work "to co-ordinate publicity on behalf of the Council" of the Administration Select Committee as listed in the Statement of Aims for 1976-77 because the Administration Select Committee may make use of this clause to intervene in the work of other select committees. This is a matter of principle and, in my opinion, only the Standing Committee of the Whole Council may have the power to do so. Moreover, judging from the performance of the members of that select committee over the past few years, it seems that they are not competent enough to discharge this duty very effectively. Such an arrangement may only damage the prestige of this Council.
For this reason, I have to object to your motion.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. PETER P. F. CHAN (in English):—Mr. Chairman, may I take this opportunity to reivew the work of the Markets and Abattoirs Select Committee.
In the past year, the Council's relations with the trade have been the best ever. Regular and friendly consultations with the Guilds and their members, both formal and informal, have enabled the Council to implement smoothly many of its policies and decisions.
a
The unanimous opinion of the trade is that only ground-floor markets are viable, and to satisfy this opinion, last year, we adopted construction programme comprising 10 temporary single-storey markets along the lines of the successful Jordan Valley and Mong Kok temporary markets. This programme will result in the re-pro- visioning of the six existing markets and the provision of 4 new markets by the end of 1979-80, by which time, four permanent 2-storey markets are also scheduled for completion. The construction of these markets and their firm management will go a long way towards helping our Vice-Chairman and the Hawkers Select Committee solve a number of hawker problems which appear, at times, to be intractable.
Consultations, and the establishment of a good relationship with the various trades, have also solved some problems arising from the location of stalls in the new Mong Kok Market. When it is finished in August this year, those who wish to move into the new market may do so according to the agreed formula and those who wish to stay in the temporary market may do so if they choose. Under these arrange- ments, a number of hawkers who are not at present trading in markets can be accommodated.
Through discussions with the trade, it is hoped to convince stall- holders that a reasonable increase in market rents (which were last increased in 1964) should be absorbed by them. The increased revenue will be very useful to the Council in reducing the present financial deficit in market operations.
The practice of allowing up to four co-tenants to operate one market stall of limited size, clearly allowing what amounts to perpetual succession to that stall. In this day and age, perpetual succession is to nobody's advantage except, of course, those fortunate stall-holders who have long enjoyed unrealistic rents. A more business-like approach would be to place market stalls on a lease to one person for a fixed period with an option to renew. This approach will, in fact, be adopted in future new markets and consultations with those concerned will hopefully result in a similar approach being adopted in respect of existing market stall leases.
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