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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Another sport facility now under construction is the hockey ground at King's Park. This was formerly a grass pitch but is now being turned into artificial turf which is particularly suitable for hockey. This field will have a spectator stand with about 1000 seats. It will be floodlit so that hockey can be played there in the evenings as well as at weekends. So far as usage is concerned, this one pitch will be the equivalent of several pitches.
I now turn to pollution and the environment. Our efforts in the past few years and the many Clean Hong Kong Campaigns that have been conducted have undoubtedly resulted in a noticeable improvement. With each year's campaigns, I am confident that further improvements will be achieved. However, I would like to draw attention to some problem areas which I have observed but for which I can suggest no remedy. The first concerns the dumping of rubble on the roadside. From my own observation on the southern side of the island, this seems to be getting more prevalent. The offence is easy to commit but difficult to detect. The result is a pile of rubble which remains an unsightly mess. At some of these, I have seen notices put up, both in Chinese and in English, to the effect that such dumping is not allowed. This is a clear case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. What can be done to prevent such pollution? I am afraid I do not know the answer.
Next, I would like to draw attention to another kind of pollution, namely the distribution of leaflets at busy street corners. This also seems to be more prevalent than before. Leaflets or other advertising literature are handed out to any passerby who is prepared to accept them. In most cases, the person taking the leaflet takes one glance at it, realizes that he is not interested at all, and wishes to get rid of it. Of course, he should walk to the nearest litter bin, but does he always do so? The answer is, of course, no. He is just as likely to throw it away immediately. In no time at all, the person distributing the leaflets is surrounded by a sea of unsightly litter. Who has committed the littering offence? Certainly not the person who hands out the leaflets. He has merely handed it over to someone else, yet he is the real cause of the litter. What can be done to stop this pollution? Again, I do not know, but I urge everyone not to accept such leaflets, and if they do, not to buy or use the products or services advertised.
Then there is the noise pollution caused by noisy motorbikes. Of course, all motor traffic creates noise, but the annoying thing is that in most cases, the smaller the vehicle, the louder the noise. Car noise can be heard but is relatively quiet. The noise made by large motorbikes is usually tolerable, but the small ones are quite often noisier than the noisiest lorry. This is a matter about which something can be done. However, no Government organization appears to be interested in dealing with it. The Council itself is concerned with some aspects of noise pollution, but only with noise created by static machines such as air conditioners, etc. Motorbikes are outside our jurisdiction. The Transport Department and Police do not seem concerned.
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Perhaps they are satisfied if the vehicle is mechanically safe. This is intolerable. It is perfectly easy for motor vehicle noise to be substantially reduced. Any vehicle which is too noisy should not be on the road.
Lastly, I would once again raise the topic of Daylight Saving Time. After speaking on this in the Annual Convention Debate last year, I thought to myself that I would not raise it again. However, I have changed my mind and once again do so. I will not go into the pros and cons of Daylight Saving Time at any length. As far as I am concerned, the advantages of Daylight Saving Time are obvious and the disadvantages minimal. Once again, I implore Government to bring it back so that we can have more hours of daylight while we are awake and can enjoy more outdoor activity in daylight.
With these remarks, I am happy to support the motion before the Council.
DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG (in Cantonese):- Mr. Chairman, I am having a silent protest. I am not going to give a speech because of the unimportance of the elected members of the Urban Council.
MR. CHAN CHI-KWAN (in Cantonese): --- Mr. Chairman, I feel that there exist many deficiencies as well as problems which need to be solved in the society of Hong Kong. This is no fool's talk but an irrefutable fact.
Although what I have pointed out is not necessarily a subject within the ambit of the Council's terms of reference, I hope that the attention of the authorities concerned could thus be aroused and necessary action be taken then. The followings are the issues in respect of which urgent efforts must now be made to put them under control or to have the situation rectified. Members of the public, I believe, will mostly agree with me.
(1) Selling fish-balls without a licence is, of course, illegal and must be wiped out, prosecuted, and penalized. However, the so-called 'fish-ball stalls', a sort of vice establishment, have grown like mushrooms during these years and their number is believed to be even greater than such 'whore-house' varieties as 'one-girl private brothel' or 'kindly step into the vat'.
The key issue about this does not concern the ethics being preached by the moralists, but the fact is that quite a number of young girl students under the age of 16 are being recruited by the 'fish-ball stalls' to meet the salacious demand of the 'lusters'. Such being the case, we mouthpiece for the citizens should not just speak out and do nothing else.
According to the latest report, an average of some 30 to 40 young girls under 16 are found each month in such establishments in Wan Chai district during the police raids. Of these teenage girls, about 60% are still in school. Such a discovery is really terrifying! It also reflects that the food supplied by those 'fish-ball stalls' is really different - the moral danger is serious indeed.
Page 81 of 120
Page 81 of 120
128
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Another sport facility now under construction is the hockey ground at King's Park. This was formerly a grass pitch but is now being turned into artificial turf which is particularly suitable for hockey. This field will have a spectator stand with about 1000 seats. It will be floodlit so that hockey can be played there in the evenings as well as at weekends. So far as usage is concerned, this one pitch will be the equivalent of several pitches.
I now turn to pollution and the environment. Our efforts in the past few years and the many Clean Hong Kong Campaigns that have been conducted has undoubtedly resulted in a noticeable improvement. With each year's campaigns I am confident that further improvements will be achieved. However, I would like to draw attention to some problem areas which I have observed but for which I can suggest no remedy. The first concerns the dumping of rubble on the road side. From my own observation on the southern side of the island, this seems to be getting more prevalent. The offence is easy to commit but difficult to detect. The result is a pile of rubble which remains an unsightly mess. At some of these, I have seen notices put up, both in Chinese and in English, to the effect that such dump- ing is not allowed. This is a clear case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. What can be done to prevent such pollution? I am afraid I do not know the answer.
Next, I would like to draw attention to another kind of pollution namely the distribution of leaflets at busy street corners. This also seems to be more prevalent than before. Leaflets or other advertising literature are handed out to any passerby who is prepared to accept them. In most cases, the person taking the leaflet takes one glance at it, realizes that he is not interested at all, and wishes to get rid of it. Of course he should walk to the nearest litter bin, but does he always do so? The answer is of course, no. He is just as likely to throw it away immediately. In no time at all, the person distribut- ing the leaflets is surrounded by a sea of unsightly litter. Who has committed the littering offences? Certainly not the person who hands out the leaflets. He has merely handed it over to someone else, yet he is the real cause of the litter. What can be done to stop this pollution? Again I do not know, but I urge everyone not to accept such leaflets, and if they do, not to buy or use the products or services advertised.
Then there is the noise pollution caused by noisy motor bikes. Of course all motor traffic creates noise but the annoying thing is that in most cases the smaller the vehicle, the louder the noise. Car noise can be heard but is relatively quiet. The noise made by large motor bikes is usually tolerable, but the small ones are quite often noisier than the noisiest lorry. This is a matter about which something can be done. However, no Government organization appears to be interested in dealing with it. The Council itself is concerned with some aspects of noise pollution, but only with noise created by static machines such as air conditioners etc. Motor bikes are outside our jurisdiction. The Transport Department and Police do not seem concerned.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
129
Perhaps, they are satisfied if the vehicle is mechanically safe. This is intoler- able. It is perfectly easy for motor vehicle noise to be substantially reduced. Any vehicle which is too noisy should not be on the road.
Lastly, I would once again raise the topic of Daylight Saving Time. After speaking on this in the Annual Conventional Debate last year, I thought to myself that I would not raise it again. However, I have changed my mind and once again do so. I will not go into the pros and cons of Daylight Saving Time at any length. As far as I am concerned, the advantages of Daylight Saving Time are obvious and the disadvantages minimal. Once again I implore Government to bring it back so that we can have more hours of daylight while we are awake and can enjoy more outdoor activity in daylight.
With these remarks I am happy to support the motion before the Council. DR. DENNY M. H. HUANG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I am having a silent protest. I am not going to give a speech because of the unimportance of the elected members of the Urban Council.
MR. CHAN CHI-KWAN (in Cantonese): ---Mr. Chairman, I feel that there exist many deficiencies as well as problems which need to be solved in the society of Hong Kong. This is no fool's talk' but an irrefutable fact.
Although what I have pointed out is not necessarily a subject within the ambit of the Council's terms of reference, I hope that the attention of the authorities concerned could thus be aroused and necessary action be taken then. The followings are the issues in respect of which urgent efforts must now be made to put them under control or to have the situation rectified. Members of the public, I believe, will mostly agree with me.
(1) Selling fish-balls without a licence is, of course, illegal and must be wiped out, prosecuted and penalized. However, the so-called 'fish-ball stalls', a sort of vice establishment, have grown like mushrooms during these years and their number is believed to be even greater than such 'whore-house' varieties as 'one-girl private brothel' or 'kindly step into the vat'.
The key issue about this does not concern the ethics being preached by the moralists, but the fact is that quite a number of young girl students under the age of 16 are being recruited by the 'fish-ball stalls' to meet the salacious demand of the 'lusters'. Such being the case, we mouthpiece for the citizens should not just speak out and do nothing else.
According to the latest report, an average of some 30 to 40 young girls under 16 are found each month in such establishments in Wan Chai district during the police raids. Of these teenage girls, about 60% are still in school. Such a discovery is really terrifying! It also reflects that the food supplied by those 'fish-ball stalls' is really different-the moral danger is serious indeed.
Page 81 of 120
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