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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
## ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. In your name I would like to congratulate our Members who have been returned to the Council for another period of four years—Mr. BERNACCHI, Dr. Henry Hu, Mr. Peter C. K. CHAN, Mr. TSIN Sai-nin, Mr. Edmund CHOW and Mr. Ambrose CHOI. We wish them much satisfaction in all they do. (Applause).
## MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 8th February, 1977 were confirmed.
## STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):-In our truly crowded living conditions, the Council should do all it can to create a more pleasant environment. Not only should there be many more green areas dispersed all over, but more trees and shrubs should be planted in parks and roadsides as well, and strong resistance put up against the callous destruction of what natural beauty remains in our territory.
Nature was ruggedly kind to Hong Kong, to start off. And, initially, there was much planting to cover our "barren rock" with vegetation; yet, in more recent times, intense building activity has not always improved the appearance of our city. In fact, as all can see, there has even been some despoliation. Where there were green hillsides before, there is now a depressing maze of buildings in the more accessible parts everywhere. Indeed, in some areas, there is hardly any greenery left. Necessity may have been served. But, then, need it have been done in a frenzied way with seemingly little regard for the environment in many places? And, caring nothing for the surroundings but only the highest yield on investment?
An annual planting programme was started in earnest nearly fifteen years ago. It is carried out systematically each year with suitable shift of emphasis to meet changing needs. It was intended then, as it is now, to restore a measure of greenery. It may still be a vain effort to counteract the vast building and road construction going on here, there and everywhere, which in the process may change local ecology and bring on social problems as well. But, the corrective effort must be kept up, cost what it may. Of course, little can be achieved without an adequate supply of the right trees; so, from the start, plant nurseries had to be expanded where they existed, and more land found for new ones. Even more, where our own supply was not enough, purchases had to be made from private sources, local and imported. In the meantime, our nurseries are beginning to produce more, hopefully enough to meet our more exacting requirements.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
225
In any case, in the last four years since reconstitution, the Council has planted, in all ten city districts, just over 100,000 trees and more than 250,000 shrubs in all. In the current year, it is intended to plant nearly 15,000 trees and slightly more than 100,000 shrubs. If this rate of planting can be kept up, a visual impact will be made in due time. But it is not just a case of adding to numbers already put down because the mortality rate was high before and is not much lower now. However, there will be less to fear if sites are chosen more discriminately and the particular type of semi-mature trees most likely to survive are put down in good soil. Thus, if prevailing adverse natural conditions are taken into account in any given location, and the necessary remedial measures taken to counteract them, less casualties need be expected. Apart from the elements, pollution and vandalism have also taken their heavy toll. Felling trees to clear land for development and destruction of beautification schemes for road improvement are also most disheartening, but presumably necessary for community progress.
In our dense surroundings, large open spaces for rest and recreation are not easy to come by unfortunately. There are only 416 parks and gardens and 74 amenity plots covering approximately 450 acres of land in our ten urban districts, not counting playgrounds and sports areas. Hence, the search must go on for more green lands. It must not let up. Or else, relentlessly, the concrete jungle will encroach everywhere. And, Hong Kong might well be left with only the harbour as open space, as the Council was cynically told that it could always count as such, when it was campaigning hard for more land for public recreation not so many years ago. Even so, the harbour is being filled up bit by bit, and now even burrowed under.
Moreover, as the staff employed in caring for these gardens and roadside plots become better trained, their practical knowledge will mean in turn that the general standard of their work will be far higher. There are about 1,400 persons engaged in such gardening work. Some attend horticultural courses abroad while many more undergo local training.
There is also the need for the Council to encourage more public support. The wish to have a clean and beautiful city should be given practical expression by all. While private gardens may be few in a city
Page 131 of 139
Page 131 of 139
224
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. In your name I would like to congratulate our Members who have been returned to the Council for another period of four years-Mr. BERNACCHI, Dr. Henry Hu, Mr. Peter C. K. CHAN, Mr. TSIN Sai-nin, Mr. Edmund CHOW and Mr. Ambrose CHOI. We wish them much satisfaction in all they do. (Applause).
MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 8th February, 1977 were con- firmed.
STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):-In our truly crowded living conditions, the Council should do all it can to create a more pleasant environment. Not only should there be many more green areas dispersed all over, but more trees and shrubs should be planted in parks and roadsides as well, and strong resistance put up against the callous destruction of what natural beauty remains in our territory.
Nature was ruggedly kind to Hong Kong, to start off. And, initially, there was much planting to cover our "barren rock” with vegetation; yet, in more recent times, intense building activity has not always improved the appearance of our city. In fact, as all can see, there has even been some despoliation. Where there were green hill- sides before, there is now a depressing maze of buildings in the more accessible parts everywhere. Indeed, in some areas, there is hardly any greenery left. Necessity may have been served. But, then, need it have been done in a frenzied way with seemingly little regard for the environment in many places? And, caring nothing for the surround- ings but only the highest yield on investment?
An annual planting programme was started in earnest nearly fifteen years ago. It is carried out systematically each year with suitable shift of emphasis to meet changing needs. It was intended then, as it is now, to restore a measure of greenery. It may still be a vain effort to counteract the vast building and road construction going on here, there and everywhere, which in the process may change local ecology and bring on social problems as well. But, the corrective effort must be kept up, cost what it may. Of course, little can be achieved without an adequate supply of the right trees; so, from the start, plant nurseries
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
225
had to be expanded where they existed, and more land found for new ones. Even more, where our own supply was not enough, purchases had to be made from private sources, local and imported. In the meantime, our nurseries are beginning to produce more, hopefully enough to meet our more exacting requirements.
In any case, in the last four years since reconstitution, the Council has planted, in all ten city districts, just over 100,000 trees and more than 250,000 shrubs in all. In the current year, it is intended to plant nearly 15,000 trees and slightly more than 100,000 shrubs. If this rate of planting can be kept up, a visual impact will be made in due time. But it is not just a case of adding to numbers already put down because the mortality rate was high before and is not much lower now. However, there will be less to fear if sites are chosen more discriminately and the particular type of semi-mature trees most likely to survive are put down in good soil. Thus, if prevailing adverse natural conditions are taken into account in any given location, and the necessary remedial measures taken to counteract them, less casualties need be expected. Apart from the elements, pollution and vandalism have also taken their heavy toll. Felling trees to clear land for development and destruction of beautifica- tion schemes for road improvement are also most disheartening, but presumably necessary for community progress.
In our dense surroundings, large open spaces for rest and recreation are not easy to come by unfortunately. There are only 416 parks and gardens and 74 amenity plots covering approximately 450 acres of land in our ten urban districts, not counting playgrounds and sports areas. Hence, the search must go on for more green lands. It must not let up. Or else, relentlessly, the concrete jungle will encroach everywhere. And, Hong Kong might well be left with only the harbour as open space, as the Council was cynically told that it could always count as such, when it was campaigning hard for more land for public recreation not so many years ago. Even so, the harbour is being filled up bit by bit, and now even burrowed under.
Moreover, as the staff employed in caring for these gardens and roadside plots become better trained, their practical knowledge will mean in turn that the general standard of their work will be far higher. There are about 1,400 persons engaged in such gardening work. Some attend horticultural courses abroad while many more undergo local training.
There is also the need for the Council to encourage more public support. The wish to have a clean and beautiful city should be given practical expression by all. While private gardens may be few in a city
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