1980 — Page 22

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

Indexation as Alternative

There is an innovative and progressive alternative course to raising the rate percentage in 1981-82 to save the situation. It involves the sensible indexation of the rate percentage to staff costs, by far the biggest item of recurrent expenditure and over which only the Government has control as it sets pay levels. The arrangement is simple to make and also avoids dispute or recrimination. It is eminently logical in the circumstances. It has the advantage of protecting the Council's original position by adjusting automatically its rate revenue without argument each year and every time the Government awards salary increases and other benefits. It does not touch the Council's rate percentage.

Compensation

The adjustment between the Government and the Council might be made out of the general rate collected by them, thus without asking the householder to pay more. It would cause them no pain for there are other important revenue sources linked to inflation-prone profits and incomes in the private sector. How the compensation will be paid is up to the Government. It does not affect the arrangement to tie the rate cover to the payroll. It is a simple device the people can understand. Its aim is to put the Council's narrow financial structure on a sound foundation in response to inflationary conditions and to protect its ability to serve the public properly above all.

Anyway, is the Government willing to put its cards on the table soon?

(Mr. Edmund W. H. CHOW and Mr. SHUM Choi-sang arrived during the Chairman's address.)

PAPER

The following paper was laid on the table:

(1) Report to the Urban Council by the Director of Urban Services and Secretary, Urban Council, for the month of April, 1980.

QUESTIONS

1. MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG asked the following question (in Cantonese): With the increase of population in Tsz Wan Shan area, may consideration be given by the Council to provide a library in that area?

MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG, VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE CULTURAL SERVICES SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English): This question deals with the provision of library services in the Tsz Wan Shan area.

At present, the Wong Tai Sin district which includes Tsz Wan Shan has no static district library. The needs of the district have been served by the Ping Shek Library which copes with residents of the Ping Shek Estates as well as the large population in the eastern portion of Wong Tai Sin.

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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The Council's Libraries Expansion Programme includes two libraries which will be provided in the Wong Tai Sin district. They are to be accommodated in two Council projects, namely the Ngau Chi Wan Market Building which is scheduled to be completed in 1983-84, and the Joint-user Building at the junction of Shung Ling Street and Yi Lun Street, the completion date of which has yet to be determined. Although neither are in the Tsz Wan Shan area, both will be easily accessible to residents of Tsz Wan Shan.

In the meantime, the Urban Council provides a mobile library service for residents of Tsz Wan Shan. In addition, arrangements are being made to offer block loan services to Kaifong Associations and local organizations in the Tsz Wan Shan area.

MISS YEUNG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I understand that in Ping Shek Estate and Choi Hung Estate, there are a lot of students especially recently as we have the Shun Lee Tsuen, Ngau Chi Wan Tsuen and Choi Wan Tsuen completed. We have a lot more population there, so there are a lot of people using Ping Shek Library and there is evidently a lack of library services there. So before the completion of the new libraries, do we have interim measures to deal with the situation? Another point is that I understand that there is a service provided by the mobile library and how many times does it go to Tsz Wan Shan every month? Can Mr. FUNG answer my question and I thank him for the rather detailed answer he gave me.

MR. FUNG (in English): Mr. Chairman, in the library expansion programme, there is a master plan on the part of the Council to improve our library services. Unfortunately, we cannot, of course, build all the libraries that the public demands due to various constraints. I can assure Miss YEUNG that the mobile library in fact does go to the Tsz Wan Shan area. The frequency is once a week, on every Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., and the mobile library is located at Tsz Wan Shan Block No. 1.

MISS YEUNG (in Cantonese): I have another question. Mr. FUNG mentioned something about the time. He said that the mobile library served the Tsz Wan Shan area in the afternoon on Wednesdays. How about those students studying in the morning sessions? Do they have any chance of being served by this mobile library?

MR. FUNG (in English): At the moment the mobile library only visits during Wednesday afternoons, but I would like to add that for the residents of Tsz Wan Shan all the U.C. libraries throughout the territory are open to them. They do not have to really just patronize the mobile library alone.

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