Page 99 of 120
Page 99 or 12
165
164
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
will be more difficult in future to find space in the urban area to set up additional refuse collection points.
The appearance of our city can be said to have slightly been improved since the ban on bill posting was introduced. However, there is no stipulation that old neon light signboards and industrial, commercial and residential buildings in disrepair should be renovated periodically. The neon light signboards when in disrepair or when abandoned often pose as a safety hazard to the public. The Urban Council should follow the example of other big cities; people applying for permission to put up neon light signboards should be required to place a deposit which can be used to pay the demolition fees in case their signboards need to be pulled down at a later stage.
Exhibition Venues
The Council is now planning the construction of the Museum of Science and Technology and the Museum of History. These two major projects will surely enhance the knowledge of the people. The demand for such facilities by the people is clearly manifested by the large number of visitors to the Space Museum since its opening. Recently many industrial and commercial organizations have asked Government for a piece of land for the construction of a permanent exhibition hall as an aid to the industrial and commercial sectors and as a push to the diversification of industry.
Though the provision of an exhibition hall will entail a tremendous expenditure and that it could only bring back a small income, it is indispensable in a developing society. I suggest that the Council builds a multi-purpose permanent exhibition hall on the lower floor of the building to be erected on the piece of crown land in Chatham Road which has been appropriated by the government. The upper floors of the building are to be divided into two multi-purpose blocks, one as the permanent Museum of Science and Technology and the other as the Museum of History. By making such an arrangement the Council can reduce the land value occupied by the museums and provide the commercial and industrial sectors a permanent exhibition hall with the experience it has accumulated in the past years in the management of exhibition venues.
With proper arrangements the Council can make efficient use of the permanent exhibition hall by holding career exhibitions or large scale science and technology and museum exhibitions, or even larger scale international exhibitions. When necessary the Council can consider using the Hunghom Indoor Stadium to hold the opening and closing ceremonies. The exhibition hall will meet the demand of the industrial and commercial sectors and at the same time shorten the waiting period for hiring the City Hall facilities.
Publications
The Council offers a wide variety of publications for sale at prices within the reach of most people. These publications range from exhibition catalogues, art reproductions to the sophisticated souvenir programme on the Festival of Asian Arts and the Urban Council Annual Report. About 150 titles of the Council's Publications are currently available at its Publications Centre and leading bookshops. All the Council's publications are cheaply priced, from the cheapest $1 Guide to Community Services to the most expensive but lavish $90 Chinese Bamboo Carving, but the quality of these publications is comparable to the best produced by commercial publishers. Most of the Council's publications are sold for an average of $10.
The Council's publications have been produced with the aim of providing a service to the community. Take the series on Hong Kong flora and fauna as an example, it was started with the aim of encouraging more interest in Hong Kong's natural history in a time when books on local natural history of any kind were scarce or outdated. One publication worthy of mentioning is Hong Kong 100 Years Ago. It is a picture-story of Hong Kong with photographs from the collection of the Hong Kong Museum of History. The book tops the Council's best-seller list with five reprints and 40,000 copies sold. The record is beyond compare by most publications of similar nature produced in Hong Kong.
The Council's annual publications sales figure was $90,000 in 1976, but it reached an annual average of $300,000 in the past two years. These figures indicate the popularity of Urban Council publications. With the growing number of saleable publications to be produced by the Council, it is hoped that the amount would come to the half-of-a-million mark in three years.
Conclusion
In a nut shell, the Urban Council does not confine its services to the rate payers. Its aims are to improve the quality of the life of the people, particularly the general public.
Mr. Chairman, with these remarks I support the motion.
MR. HOWARD H. W. YOUNG (in English):-Mr. Chairman,
Littering
It has been 9 years since the first Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign was launched, and during this period 'Lap Sap Chung' was born, introduced and eventually beaten to death. Despite all the fanfare, we can only claim to be marginally cleaner than before. There are times when we even doubt that, especially when we see people being hit by missiles ranging from bottles to television sets and even sofas descending from high rise buildings. I agree that the newly vitalized Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign should place its emphasis on hard down-to-earth work rather than gimmicks in public relations as 'Lap Sap Chung', but if we are to achieve results, we must resort to more draconian measures.
Page 99 of 12
Page 99 of 120
Page 99 or 12
165
164
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
will be more difficult in future to find space in the urban area to set up
additional refuse collection points.
The appearance of our city can be said to have slightly been improved since the ban on bill posting was introduced. However, there is no stipulation that old neon light signboards and industrial, commercial and residential buildings in disrepair should be renovated periodically. The neon light sign- boards when in disrepair or when abandoned often pose as a safety hazard to the public. The Urban Council should follow the example of other big cities; people applying for permission to put up neon light signboards should be required to place a deposit which can be used to pay the demolition fees in case their signboards need to be pulled down at a later stage.
Exhibition Venues
The Council is now planning the construction of the Museum of Science and Technology and the Museum of History. These two major projects will surely enhance the knowledge of the people. The demand for such facilities by the people is clearly manifested by the large number of visitors to the Space Museum since its opening. Recently many industrial and commercial organiza- tions have asked Government for a piece of land for the construction of a permanent exhibition hall as an aid to the industrial and commercial sectors and as a push to the diversification of industry.
Though the provision of an exhibition hall will entail a tremendous expendi ture and that it could only bring back a small income, it is indispensable in a developing society. I suggest that the Council builds a multi-purpose permanent exhibition hall on the lower floor of the building to be erected on the piece of crown land in Chatham Road which has been appropriated by the government. The upper floors of the building are to be divided into two multi-purpose blocks, one as the permanent Museum of Science and Technology and the other as the Museum of History. By making such an arrangement the Council can reduce the land value occupied by the museums and provide the commercial and industrial sectors a permanent exhibition hall with the experience it has accumulated in the past years in the manage- ment of exhibition venues.
With proper arrangements the Council can make efficient use of the per- manent exhibition hall by holding career exhibitions or large scale science and technology and museum exhibitions, or even larger scale international exhibitions. When necessary the Council can consider using the Hunghom Indoor Stadium to hold the opening and closing ceremonies. The exhibition hall will meet the demand of the industrial and commercial sectors and at the same time shorten the waiting period for hiring the City Hall facilities.
Publications
The Council offers a wide variety of publications for sale at prices within the reach of most people. These publications range from exhibition catalogues,
art
some
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
reproductions to the sophisticated souvenir programme on the Festival of Asian Arts and the Urban Council Annual Report. About 150 titles of the Council's Publications are currently available at its Publications Centre and leading bookshops. All the Council's publications are cheaply priced, from the cheapest $1 Guide to Community Services to the most expensive but lavish $90 Chinese Bamboo Carving, but the quality of these publications is comparable to the best produced by commercial publishers. Most of the Council's publications are sold for an average of $10.
as an
The Council's publications have been produced with the aim of providing a service to the community. Take the series on Hong Kong flora and fauna example, it was started with the aim of encouraging more interest in Hong Kong's natural history in a time when books on local natural history of any kind were scarce or outdated. One publication worthy of mentioning is Hong Kong 100 Years Ago. It is a picture-story of Hong Kong with photo- graphs from the collection of the Hong Kong Museum of History. The book tops the Council's best-seller list with five reprints and 40 000 copies sold. The record is beyond compare by most publications of similar nature pro- duced in Hong Kong.
The Council's annual publications sales figure was $90,000 in 1976, but it reached an annual average of $300,000 in the past two years. These figures indicate the popularity of Urban Council publications. With the growing number of saleable publications to be produced by the Council, it is hoped that the amount would come to the half-of-a-million mark in three years.
Conclusion
In a nut shell, the Urban Council does not confine its services to the rate payers. Its aims are to improve the quality of the life of the people, partic- ularly the general public.
Mr. Chairman, with these remarks I support the motion.
MR. HOWARD H. W. YOUNG (in English):-Mr. Chairman,
Littering
It has been 9 years since the first Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign was launched, and during this period 'Lap Sap Chung' was born, introduced and eventually beaten to death. Despite all the fanfare, we can only claim to be marginally cleaner than before. There are times when we even doubt that, especially when we see people being hit by missiles ranging from bottles to television sets and even sofas descending from high rise buildings. I agree that the newly vitalized Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign should place its emphasis on hard down-to-earth work rather than gimmicks in public relations as 'Lap Sap Chung', but if we are to achieve results, we must resort to more draconian measures.
Page 99 of 12
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.