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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Urban Council tenders and staff vacancies was overruled in the Council. My suggestion that our CITY NEWS should contain advertisement for I must bow to collective wisdom. When we are walking to a deficit in our finances in the 1980's, should we have second thoughts?
With these remarks, I support motion before Council.
MR CHAN CHI-KWAN, PETER (in English):-Sir, I apologize for being late. It was due to a professional commitment rather than other reasons.
During the year under review, Liquor Licensing received more attention than usual. The Liquor Licensing Board of this council worked hard along the guide line of the statement of aims. Most of our works were under public scrutiny in the form of public hearings, at times very well attended by the press as well as people interested in the subject.
Public interest has at times focused on the question of Licensed Bars or Nightclubs employing under-aged girls, recent decisions of the Board have reflected the general tendency that under-aged girls should not be encouraged to be employed to work in such premises either as hostesses or as waitresses. This is by no means discouraging adult ladies to consume liquor in licensed premises with or without their charming male companions. It is perhaps due to the presence of Ladies (topless or otherwise) that liquor consumption on such premises is on the increase. However, the Board is hardly in a position to judge on the question of morality.
Of course, allowing female employees to encourage more consumption is one thing, allowing them to solicit for something else is a different question altogether. Recently, significant decisions of the Board have received the attention of the public and people in the trade.
Bona fide clubs should have no worry about their liquor licence, some public hearings were held because of some doubt as to the degrees of truthfulness of a genuine club consist of genuine members. Some of the activities of these so-called clubs are quite amusing.
It has been suggested by some quarters that Liquor Licences be dispensed with for Licensed Restaurants and Cafes (known as Light Refreshment Restaurants). If the basis for such a suggestion is to avoid delay in the issue of a Liquor Licence after the premises is already licensed as a Restaurant, the basis of the argument is no longer sound. Recent tendency shows that Liquor Licences can be issued more speedily than Restaurants in general. The retention of Liquor Licences for such premises would ensure no abuse in the field of selling liquor to young persons under the age of 18 and probably the quality of liquor sold on the premises, these are within the jurisdiction of the Police and the Trade Industry and Customs Department respectively.
I was fortunate enough to be sent to the United Kingdom to visit some local authorities and to study their way of running their councils. Most, if not all, UK local councils do not have to license a restaurant (only registration) through their Liquor Licensing Boards. It is gratifying to learn that the responsible quarters that suggested the dispensation of liquor licences for Restaurants may have a second thought about the issue.
During the past few months, as the Vice-Chairman of the Liquor Licensing Board, I have the opportunity of presiding over the Board (as the Chairman was otherwise engaged) and witnessed some public-spirited members of the public put forward their views regarding individual cases either by attending the board personally, or forwarding their views to us directly or through City District Officers. Their views assisted the Board tremendously. I wish to record my (perhaps the Board's) appreciation for their effort.
There has been some suggestion that young persons under the age of 18 have found liquor is more readily available to them in licensed premises. I hope this is not true. I am sure that we would all wish the law enforcing bodies would make sure that this suggestion is incorrect. If it was correct for a while, it shall be put right. I have nothing against drinking, but an early start should not be encouraged.
Sir, with these remarks, I support the motion before Council.
MR JOHN MACKENZIE (in English):-Mr Chairman,
Introduction
At this late stage of the afternoon, after numerous speeches of varying interest, relevance and tedium, I am sure that Members will be grateful if I keep my remarks to the minimum. In fact, the activities of the General Administration Select Committee have been well documented in an Interim Report submitted to Council in November. I am tabling a copy of this for public information, and shall comment only on one or two more pressing issues.
USD Accommodation
One point of current concern in Administration is the urgent need for new accommodation to house USD Headquarters. Due to lack of foresight and planning, the Government Secretariat is grossly overcrowded to the extent that substantial sums of public money are now being spent in leasing commercial premises in various locations. These pressures have created a serious accommodation problem within USD, with areas of City Hall estranged from public use and Headquarter units scattered as far apart as Kowloon Park and Wan Chai.
We have been concerned by this state of affairs for some time. Last June, the Council formally proposed to Government the construction of a 37-storey USD administration building, on the under-utilized City Hall Car Park, to provide 300,000 sq. ft of Government office accommodation, plus car parks.
Page 90
141
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 91 of 135
Page 90 of 135
140
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Urban Council tenders and staff vacancies was overruled in the Council. My suggestion that our CITY NEWS should contain advertisement for I must bow to collective wisdom. When we are walking to a deficit in our
finances in the 1980's, should we have second thoughts?
With these remarks, I support motion before Council.
MR CHAN CHI-KWAN, PETER (in English):-Sir, I apologize for being late.
It was due to a professional commitment rather than other reasons.
During the year under review, Liquor Licensing received more attention than usual. The Liquor Licensing Board of this council worked hard along the guide line of the statement of aims. Most of our works were under public scrutiny in the form of public hearings, at times very well attended by the
press as well as people interested in the subject.
Public interest has at times focused on the question of Licensed Bars or Nightclubs employing under-aged girls, recent decisions of the Board have reflected the general tendency that under-aged girls should not be encouraged to be employed to work in such premises either as hostesses or as waitresses. This is by no means discouraging adult ladies to consume liquor in licensed premises with or without their charming male companions. It is perhaps due to the presence of Ladies (topless or otherwise) that liquor consumption on such premises is on the increase. However, the Board is hardly in a position to judge on the question of morality.
Of course, allowing female employees to encourage more consumption is one thing, allowing them to solicit for something else is a different question altogether. Recently, significant decisions of the Board have received the attention of the public and people in the trade.
Bona fide clubs should have no worry about their liquor licence, some public hearings were held because of some doubt as to the degrees of truth. fulness of a genuine club consist of genuine members. Some of the activities of these so called clubs are quite amusing.
It has been suggested by some quarters that Liquor Licences be dispensed with for Licensed Restaurants and Cafes (known as Light Refreshment Restaurants). If the basis for such a suggestion is to avoid delay in the issue of a Liquor Licence after the premises is already licensed as a Restaurant, the basis of the argument is no longer sound. Recent tendency shows that Liquor Licences can be issued more speedily than Restaurants in general. The retention of Liquor Licences for such premises would ensure no abuse in the field of selling liquor to young persons under the age of 18 and probably the quality of liquor sold on the premises, these are within the jurisdiction of the Police and the Trade Industry and Customs Department respectively.
I was fortunate enough to be sent to the United Kingdom to visit some local authorities and to study their way of running their councils. Most, if not
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 90 of 135
141
all, UK local councils do not have to license a restaurant (only registration) Licensing Boards. It is gratifying to learn that the responsible quarters that but they do watch their liquor licences carefully through their Liquor suggested the dispensation of liquor licences for Restaurants may have a
second thought about the issue.
During the past few months, as the Vice-Chairman of the Liquor Licensing Board, I have the opportunity of presiding over the Board (as the Chairman was otherwise engaged) and witnessed some public-spirited members of the public put forward their views regarding individual cases either by attending the board personally, or forwarding their views to us directly or through City District Officers. Their views assisted the Board tremendously. I wish to record my (perhaps the Board's) appreciation for their effort.
There has been some suggestion that young persons under the age of 18 have found liquor is more readily available to them in licensed premises. I hope this is not true. I am sure that we would all wish the law enforcing bodies would make sure that this suggestion is incorrect. If it was correct for a while, it shall be put right. I have nothing against drinking, but an early start should not be encouraged.
Sir, with these remarks, I support the motion before Council.
MR JOHN MACKENZIE (in English):-Mr Chairman,
Introduction
At this late stage of the afternoon, after numerous speeches of varying interest, relevance and tedium, I am sure that Members will be grateful if I keep my remarks to the minimum. In fact, the activities of the General Administration Select Committee have been well documented in an Interim Report submitted to Council in November. I am tabling a copy of this for public information, and shall comment only on one or two more pressing issues.
USD Accommodation
One point of current concern in Administration is the urgent need for new accommodation to house USD Headquarters. Due to lack of foresight and planning, the Government Secretariat is grossly overcrowded to the extent that substantial sums of public money are now being spent in leasing com- mercial premises in various locations. These pressures have created a serious accommodation problem within USD, with areas of City Hall estranged from public use and Headquarter units scattered as far apart as Kowloon Park and Wan Chai.
We have been concerned by this state of affairs for some time. Last June, the Council formally proposed to Government the construction of a 37-storey USD administration building, on the under-utilized City Hall Car Park, to provide 300,000 sq. ft of Government office accommodation, plus car parks.
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