1980 — Page 24

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MRS. ELLIOTT (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I took it for granted that it would be explained. Still, Mr. Lo cannot explain which other organizations use this sports ground during the day.

MR. Lo (in English):-There are various championships. The Hong Kong Championship, the Regional Sport Championship and so on. They would use the ground as well as the schools.

MR. HOWARD H. W. YOUNG (in English):-Mr. Chairman, at the Urban Council meeting on 17 July last year, I also raised the question on the Wan Chai Sports Ground and asked what steps the Council would take to maximize its usage. At that time, the Chairman of the Recreation & Amenities Select Committee said that the utilization rate was 30% with full capacity. But judging from the reply just given now apparently in March this year the ground was used on 28 days out of 31 days indicating an utilization rate in excess of 90%. May I ask whether this is a trend, which I do agree with, or was it only a one-off good month?

MR. Lo (in English):-Perhaps Mr. YOUNG was not quite familiar with the athletic season. It certainly comes to a climax in March, that is the most popular time for athletics and that is why the ground was used so intensively in that particular month. I certainly do not think we can keep up that kind of percentage, almost 90% usage all through the year.

CHAIRMAN (in English):-Are there any more supplementaries? Perhaps Mr. Lo might like to draw Members' attention to the monthly report which was laid on the table under Item 3 of the Agenda. Appendix I shows the use of our running tracks, and Appendix X shows their number in the urban area as 6, so Wan Chai is not the only such facility that is used all the time.

MOTIONS

1. MR. KENNETH T. C. Lo, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COM- MITTEE, moved the following motion:-

'RESOLVED that the Stadia (Amendment) By-laws 1980 be made under section 105D of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, Cap. 132.'

He said (in English):-Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Recreation Select Committee, I rise on the motion standing in my name:

'RESOLVED that the Stadia (Amendment) By-laws 1980, be made under section 105D of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, Cap. 132.'

The purpose of the amendment is to improve the security arrangement of stadia in the urban areas by prohibiting people from bringing in and being in possession of glass bottles or metal cans within a stadium.

Sir, I beg to move.

MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I rise to second the motion.

MR. CHAN CHI-KWAN (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I rise to support the motion, but I think probably this amendment is not quite as large a scope as I anticipate. This means we will insert 2 clauses, that is (g) and (h), to prohibit people from carrying into a stadium glass bottles or metal cans, whether empty or containing any content, except with the permission of the Manager. I think recent experience in other parts of the world has acknow- ledged that people attending all kinds of sports activities can run wild and do all kinds of stupid things including throwing things around and the glass bottles and empty metal cans are very handy and I think it is time to do this, so that we can stop them from going in. While this is a very good idea, I do understand why sometimes some stadia, particularly football stadia, stop people from carrying in this kind of thing, but we do have contractors who sell the same kind of item inside, and this can do just the kind of damage we try to avoid. Besides glass bottles and metal cans, I think sometimes some kind of drinking material are contained in plastic utensils, they can do the kind of damage we anticipate. I do not know whether the Chairman or Committee Members would consider enlarg- ing it to include those kinds of items which can do the same kind of damage we try to avoid. If not, I will support this motion and anticipate another enlargement in a formal amendment in the days to come. However, when this was prepared in the Committee, I was absent, but I would say that this is the thing we anticipate. Probably one of these days, if something happens, at least we have less glass bottles or metal cans, but we cannot guarantee that there will not be plastic containers used.

CHAIRMAN (in English):-Thank you very much. Further discussion? Would you like to exercise your right of reply, Mr. Lo, on the number and types of cans that might not be brought into Council stadia? (Laughter).

MR. Lo (in English):-I am not sure. Mr. CHAN appears to be more than 100% in support of the motion. An interesting suggestion of his, plastic containers and paper cartons are taken, he would also refer to those. I think having a plastic bottle thrown at you is not only annoying but can be injurious, damaging, but a paper carton is merely annoying and would not cause serious injuries. I would say paper cartons to be continued to be sold. It is very difficult to draw a line of what we want to exclude, any kind of object which can cause damage or injury. It is very difficult to draw the line as I say, but the most obvious ones are proposed in this amendment, the metal cans and glass bottles. That is why we limit it to that. Mr. CHAN is a Member of the Recreation Select Committee and can certainly bring it up again at the Committee to further pursue the matter.

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