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trifling and isolated cases which could be adequately dealt with by other departments especially Social Welfare Department.
It is not possible to enforce the Hawkers Control if there is no effective means of enforcement. It is evident that we cannot rely on the police to carry out effective control as and when required. Therefore, the only way is to increase our control force. It will cost the Council a lot of additional expenditure which is unavoidable if we want to implement our Hawker Policy thoroughly.
Our long-term Hawker Policy is to seek gradual reduction in the number of hawkers. Although there are large numbers of unlicensed hawkers, yet it would not be advisable to issue licences to them freely, as there are simply not enough sites in urban area to accommodate the existing licensed hawkers and it would be meaningless to issue licences to unlicensed hawkers under the circumstances. We have to admit the existence of unlicensed hawkers and arrangements should be made to allow them to operate somewhere in the urban area. I believe that HPA scheme on busy streets is a failure. Consideration should be given to the idea that reclaimed land or parking lot before and after office hours be designated HPA where unlicensed hawkers could trade without licence, but in practice they are not likely to go there unless customers can be attracted to these places.
The present succession policy will perpetuate the existence of hawkers and cannot meet our wish of gradual reduction in the number of hawkers. The succession policy gives right of succession to the genuine operators and will definitely encourage sub-letting which is not allowed in our policy. Succession policy must be cancelled. In case we do cancel succession, we should allow one year after the announcement for the genuine operators, who have been operating for a period of one year or more before the announcement to apply to the Council for succession of licence from the original licence holder. After a period of one year during which the situation can be rectified, the Council should strictly enforce the policy of non-succession. However, succession of surviving widow or widower, provided she or he can demonstrate the ability to conduct the business, should be considered.
Cooked food stalls should be treated separately from hawkers. I believe that it should be auctioned for a limited period of say three years with option of extension for another three years if the operation is satisfactory to the Council.
With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
(Dr. Denny M. H. HUANG left the meeting at this point.)
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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MR. WONG SHIU-CHEUCK (in Cantonese): - Mr. Chairman, one of the stated aims of the Urban Council in regard to cemeteries is to improve the amenities and facilities in public cemeteries. In this I have rather a lot to say today on the standard of management of our public cemeteries at Diamond Hill, Wo Hop Shek and Sandy Ridge. Before I do so, however, let me, in my capacity as Chairman of the Cemeteries, Crematoria and Funeral Parlours Select Committee, say a few words about progress that has been made during the year.
The most important aspect of Urban Council policy in this field is perhaps our overwhelming commitment to the promotion of cremation as a dignified and inexpensive way of disposing the dead. During the year, the Urban Council made a significant policy decision whereby the previous policy target on promotion was revised substantially upwards. In 1970 the Government on the advice of the Urban Council decided that we should aim at achieving by 1985 a cremation to burial ratio of 35% 65%. Because of the unceasing efforts by the Urban Council in promoting cremation, we witnessed during the year a cremation ratio steadily arising above 45% by the end of October this year. This is real achievement, particularly bearing in mind that in the case of Singapore their cremation ratio as at 1975 was below 45%. More and more people have come to accept the Urban Council's view that cremation is a dignified way of disposing the dead. Earlier on this year therefore we decided to revise the policy target upwards from 35% to at least 65% so that by 1985, if not earlier, we expect to see at least 65% of the total cases would be by cremation. To put the matter in perspective, over a span of 15 years, we are almost doubling the target figure in our policy of promoting cremation. What is more, we expect that we would achieve the target.
Under the administrative arrangement between the Government and the Urban Council, it is the Government that is financially responsible for providing facilities such as crematoria and funeral parlours. Over the years one of the persistent complaints of the Urban Council has been that the Government has been too dilatory in the provision of these necessary facilities in keeping with the Council's efforts in promoting the idea of cremation. We need to expand the number of cremators at the Cape Collinson Crematorium; we need to reprovision the outdated cremation facilities at Diamond Hill Crematorium, and indeed we need to provide an extra crematorium in Kwai Chung to serve the New Territories. For years the Urban Council has been pressing the Government for early completion of these projects which have been in the pipe-line for many years. Unfortunately, valuable time was lost and it was only during the year that some reasonable
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173
Page 104 of 135
172
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
trifling and isolated cases which could be adequately dealt with by other departments especially Social Welfare Department.
It is not possible to enforce the Hawkers Control if there is no effective means of enforcement. It is evident that we cannot rely on the police to carry out effective control as and when required. There- fore, the only way is to increase our control force. It will cost the Council a lot of additional expenditure which is unavoidable if we want to implement our Hawker Policy thoroughly.
Our long-term Hawker Policy is to seek gradual reduction in the number of hawkers. Although there are large numbers of unlicenced hawkers, yet it would not be advisable to issue licences to them freely, as there are simply not enough sites in urban area to accommodate the existing licenced hawkers and it would be meaningless to issue licences to unlicenced hawkers under the circumstances. We have to admit the existence of unlicenced hawkers and arrangements should be made to allow them to operate somewhere in the urban area. I believe that HPA scheme on busy streets is a failure. Consideration should be given to the idea that reclaimed land or parking lot before and after office hours be designated HPA where unlicenced hawkers could trade without licence, but in practice they are not likely to go there unless customers can be attracted to these places.
The present succession policy will perpetuate the existence of hawkers and cannot meet our wish of gradual reduction in the number of hawkers. The succession policy gives right of succession to the genuine operators and will definitely encourage sub-letting which is not allowed in our policy. Succession policy must be cancelled. In case we do cancel succession, we should allow one year after the announce- ment for the genuine operators, who have been operating for a period of one year or more before the announcement to apply to the Council for succession of licence from the original licence holder. After a period of one year during which the situation can be rectified, the Council should strictly enforce the policy of non-succession. However, succession of surviving widow or widower, provided she or he can demonstrate the ability to conduct the business, should be considered.
Cooked food stalls should be treated separately from hawkers. I believe that it should be auctioned for a limited period of say three years with option of extension for another three years if the operation is satisfactory to the Council.
With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
(Dr. Denny M. H. HUANG left the meeting at this point.)
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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173
MR. WONG SHIU-CHEUCK (in Cantonese): -Mr. Chairman, one of the stated aims of the Urban Council in regard to cemeteries is to improve the amenities and facilities in public cemeteries. In this I have rather a lot to say today on the standard of management of our public cemeteries at Diamond Hill, Wo Hop Shek and Sandy Ridge. Before I do so, however, let me, in my capacity as Chairman of the Cemeteries, Crematoria and Funeral Parlours Select Committee, say a few words about progress that has been made during the year.
:
The most important aspect of Urban Council policy in this field is perhaps our overwhelming commitment to the promotion of cremation as a dignified and inexpensive way of disposing the dead. During the year, the Urban Council made a significant policy decision whereby the previous policy target on promotion was revised substantially upwards. In 1970 the Government on the advice of the Urban Council decided that we should aim at achieving by 1985 a cremation to burial ratio of 35% 65%. Because of the unceasing efforts by the Urban Council in promoting cremation, we witnessed during the year a cremation ratio steadily arising above 45% by the end of October this year. This is real achievement, particularly bearing in mind that in the case of Singapore their cremation ratio as at 1975 was below 45%. More and more people have come to accept the Urban Council's view that crema- tion is a dignified way of disposing the dead. Earlier on this year therefore we decided to revise the policy target upwards from 35% to at least 65% so that by 1985, if not earlier, we expect to see at least 65% of the total cases would be by cremation. To put the matter in perspective, over a span of 15 years, we are almost doubling the target figure in our policy of promoting cremation. What is more, we expect that we would achieve the target.
Under the administrative arrangement between the Government and the Urban Council, it is the Government that is financially respon- sible for providing facilities such as crematoria and funeral parlours. Over the years one of the persistent complaints of the Urban Council has been that the Government has been too dilatory in the provision of these necessary facilities in keeping with the Council's efforts in promoting the idea of cremation. We need to expand the number of cremators at the Cape Collinson Crematorium; we need to reprovision the outdated cremation facilities at Diamond Hill Crematorium, and indeed we need to provide an extra crematorium in Kwai Chung to serve the New Territories. For years the Urban Council has been pressing the Government for early completion of these projects which have been in the pipe-line for many years. Unfortunately, valuable time was lost and it was only during the year that some reasonable
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