Page 160 of 174
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
to international standards where warranted. The time taken to process licences has been fixed in so far as a decision depends on the Council. Applicants for restaurant licences must also rightly clear their plans with the Buildings Ordinance Office on relevant technical matters as well as the Fire Services to ensure that conditions are not hazardous. Far too often entrepreneurs jump the gun by taking premises where they think they would do good business, without caring apparently whether such places have been built for use as restaurants or could be properly converted as such. They even fit them out expensively without first bothering to comply with health and safety regulations. Subsequently, after due warning, they are prosecuted for failure to do so, because of their inability or unwillingness to comply with acceptable standards; they take court fines as part of their business overheads and some even flout the law over and over again, blaming all and sundry but themselves, and without a care in the world for the health of the consumer. It is in these circumstances that the Council has now been compelled to take sterner measures to protect public health by pinpointing personal responsibility with the risk of imprisonment when there is persistent breaking of the law, as nothing else seems to deter our budding restaurateurs. Of course, there are also many other marginal eating-places which can only survive by brazen disregard of health and other regulations; with no hope of ever being able to pass muster, they have to go because food poisoning respects no one. Evidently, enforcement action must not peter out.
The community may not know that all licensed restaurants and food premises are inspected fortnightly and there are 5,477 in the urban areas alone, so the enormous task of safeguarding public health is not truly realized in all its magnitude.
The management of markets and abattoirs has now been rationalised in a businesslike manner, setting a fine example of cooperation with the trades concerned. There is little else to do but to wait for the heavy backlog of new markets to be built by the Public Works Department.
For long the Council has been distressed by the many accounts of the high cost of dying and the advantage sometimes taken of families in grief. With the considerate cooperation of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, free or low-cost burial service has been expanded in recent years. Meanwhile, the Council has also increased the modern cremation services to be had at low cost or even free of charge altogether for paupers. After the impending opening of the Council's own funeral home, the community will be given comprehensive services if all the thoughtful suggestions since mooted are put into effect quickly.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
281
The Council has made brave efforts to clean Hong Kong. Much has been done in some novel ways to reach the minds of the people. The extra cost to the ratepayer has been considerable. While, in the main areas, the city is now reasonably clean, nevertheless, in many back streets, the condition is still intolerable. Twice a day the streets are swept manually in most commercial and residential areas but, where hawkers congregate, the frequency is stepped up from four to eight times which obviously incurs high additional expense. In all, there are 1,552 beats. Total staff costs add up to more than $123m annually for all environmental hygiene control work. Moreover, each of the 53 anti-litter squads operating in the 10 urban districts issued less than 2 summons a working day at the direct cost of some $114 for each prosecution. This high cost of enforcement follows long and expensive exhortations by means of lively campaigns and civic education programmes. The financial implications of keeping the city clean are striking. Unless fines are put up realistically as an effective deterrent to the selfish people who persist in littering as they please, the community may have to weigh the need to impose fixed penalties temporarily, although it is sincerely hoped that it will not come to pass.
Culture and Recreation
There has been a cultural explosion in recent times. In quantity and selectivity as well. It has not come about suddenly. Pressure has been building up internally ever since the City Hall was open. So, when the Council came into its own money, there were already the right conditions for it to present no fewer than 520 performances in the current financial year, for example. Indeed, in the last five years, the City Hall presented 1,709 performances of music, dance, drama and other arts.
Excellent as is this record, it is still through free public entertainment that the Council has scored a bull's eye. In 37 different outside locations, the Council is presenting 700 free programmes in this 1977/78 year, ranging widely from Cantonese operas and popular variety shows to fun fairs and youth dances. A close monthly evaluation of what interests the people guides the on-going selection of programmes. It has thus not been a haphazard development. The people have enjoyed just about 2,700 programmes in their own neighbourhoods since 1973 in spite of the inadequacy of the open-air physical facilities in our parks and playgrounds.
The Museum of Art has also put on in the last five years, either jointly with other organizations or on its own, 66 different exhibitions,
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Page 161 of 174
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
to international standards where warranted. The time taken to process licences has been fixed in so far as a decision depends on the Council. Applicants for restaurant licences must also rightly clear their plans with the Buildings Ordinance Office on relevant technical matters as well as the Fire Services to ensure that conditions are not hazardous. Far too often entrepreneurs jump the gun by taking premises where they think they would do good business, without caring apparently whether such places have been built for use as restaurants or could be properly converted as such. They even fit them out expensively without first bothering to comply with health and safety regulations. Subsequently, after due warning, they are prosecuted for failure to do so, because of their inability or unwillingness to comply with acceptable standards; they take court fines as part of their business overheads and some even flout the law over and over again, blaming all and sundry but themselves, and without a care in the world for the health of the consumer. It is in these circumstances that the Council has now been compelled to take sterner measures to protect public health by pin- pointing personal responsibility with the risk of imprisonment when there is persistent breaking of the law, as nothing else seems to deter our budding restauranteurs. Of course, there are also many other marginal eating-places which can only survive by brazen disregard of health and other regulations; with no hope of ever being able to pass muster, they have to go because food poisoning respects no one. Evidently, enforcement action must not peter out.
The community may not know that all licensed restaurants and food premises are inspected fortnightly and there are 5,477 in the urban areas alone, so the enormous task of safeguarding public health is not truly realized in all its magnitude.
The management of markets and abattoirs has now been rationalised in a businesslike manner, setting a fine example of cooperation with the trades concerned. There is little else to do but to wait for the heavy backlog of new markets to be built by the Public Works Depart-
ment.
For long the Council has been distressed by the many accounts of the high cost of dying and the advantage sometimes taken of families in grief. With the considerate cooperation of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, free or low-cost burial service has been expanded in recent years. Meanwhile, the Council has also increased the modern cremation services to be had at low cost or even free of charge altogether for paupers. After the impending opening of the Council's own funeral home, the community will be given comprehensive services if all the thoughtful suggestions since mooted are put into effect quickly.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
281
The Council has made brave efforts to clean Hong Kong. Much has been done in some novel ways to reach the minds of the people. The extra cost to the ratepayer has been considerable. While, in the main areas, the city is now reasonably clean, nevertheless, in many back streets, the condition is still intolerable. Twice a day the streets are swept manually in most commercial and residential areas but, where hawkers congregate, the frequency is stepped up from four to eight times which obviously incurs high additional expense. In all, there are 1,552 beats. Total staff costs add up to more than $123m annually for all environmental hygiene control work. Moreover, each of the 53 anti-litter squads operating in the 10 urban districts issued less than 2 summones a working day at the direct cost of some $114 for each prosecution. This high cost of enforcement follows long and expensive exhortations by means of lively campaigns and civic education pro- grammes. The financial implications of keeping the city clean are strik- ing. Unless fines are put up realistically as an effective deterrent to the selfish people who persist in littering as they please, the community may have to weigh the need to impose fixed penalties temporarily, although it is sincerely hoped that it will not come to pass.
Culture and Recreation
There has been a cultural explosion in recent times. In quantity and selectivity as well. It has not come about suddenly. Pressure has been building up internally ever since the City Hall was open. So, when the Council came into its own money, there were already the right conditions for it to present no fewer than 520 performances in the current financial year, for example. Indeed, in the last five years, the City Hall presented 1,709 performances of music, dance, drama and other arts.
Excellent as is this record, it is still through free public enter- tainment that the Council has scored a bull's eye. In 37 different out- side locations, the Council is presenting 700 free programmes in this 1977/78 year, ranging widely from Cantonese operas and popular variety shows to fun fairs and youth dances. A close monthly evalua- tion of what interests the people guides the on-going selection of programmes. It has thus not been a haphazard development. The people have enjoyed just about 2,700 programmes in their own neigh- bourhoods since 1973 in spite of the inadequacy of the open-air physical facilities in our parks and playgrounds.
The Museum of Art has also put on in the last five years, either jointly with other organizations or on its own, 66 different exhibitions,
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Page 161 of 174
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