Page 88 of 142
132
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
We, in the Urban Council with our history of 100 years of municipal management, have confidence in and are committed to work for the long-term stability and prosperity for Hong Kong's people and of the Chinese people as a whole.
Standing for continuity amidst change, the Council will pursue its purposeful adaptation to new economic, social and political realities in the decade of the 80's.
I so move.
MR. H. M. G. FORSGATE, VICE-CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL seconded (in English):--Mr. Chairman, in rising to second your motion, may I draw Members' attention to the very intelligent audience we have attracted to this meeting on the first day of our Annual Conventional Debate which was of course quite unconventional which may be a paradox in terms which I am sure they will understand.
Last Friday when I laid the Foundation Stone on the site of the new Western Market Complex, I remarked the rate of progress made by this Council in the 9 years since it received financial autonomy in 1973. This is, you Mr. Chairman have said, our Centenary year and I know the squalid conditions prevailing in 1883 that gave birth to our parent the Sanitary Board have in the most part vanished, certain squatter areas remain to mock at our achievements.
The rapid growth of the population of Hong Kong to over 5 million persons and their growing expectations of higher standard of cleanliness and services, the seemingly insatiable demand for a greater variety of recreational, cultural and other activities, have all strained our financial resources.
Finances
Every year, we seem like Oliver Twist to be returning to Government with outstretched hand asking for more resources to carry out our allotted tasks. However, as you, Mr. Chairman, had pointed out on a number of occasions, the growth in size and cost of the Civil Service, and we are one of the largest employers in that Service, is responsible for our impecuniosity. As our main source of income is derived from our share of the rates, we will remain poised between Scylla and Charybdis, at least until the rates are revised. Hopefully from our point of view in 1984–85.
We are budgeting for a deficit of some $266 million by the end of March 1984. Not that we expect to be as badly off as all that. The P.W.D. have not been able to spend the amount allocated to our capital expenditure projects in the past few years. Perhaps this coming year the P.W.D., who act as our agents in the construction of projects, will confound us. I sincerely hope so, as with the down turn in the property market, building contractors are desperate for work, are cutting their prices to the bone. Now is the time to build and get real value for money. No cut back in capital projects will be made, to avoid the hiatus of a stop and go policy, and to keep our programme of capital works on course.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Perhaps you, Mr. Chairman, could ask the P.W.D. to concentrate a little harder on our projects.
Environmental Pollution
People are slowly becoming to realize the urgent need of proper control of pollution of the land and water, air and noise. The Environmental Protection Advisory Committee, E.P.C.O.M. for short, has been making this point for many years. Now with the advice and backing of its very professional Environment Protection Agency, staffed by able and qualified scientists, it is in a position to report some progress.
The quality of the water of the semi-enclosed inland sea bay of Tolo Harbour, was becoming dangerously threatened by severe pollution from land-based activities, both domestic and farming, licensed, and unlicensed. However, the Government has now gazetted Tolo Harbour as the 'First Water Control Zone' in Hong Kong. This means that water quality objectives and regulations to prohibit pollution, now under preparation, will give practical effect to the Zone. The Government, which is the largest developer in both Sha Tin and Tai Po, through its housing and industrial estates, recognizing its own responsibilities to handle pollution, has built a large Sewage Treatment Works to cope with the effluent inevitable from this development. This is the first step to deal with water pollution; but there is still a long way to go.
Noise may seem to be endemic to Hong Kong, especially noise associated with development. All of us are only too familiar with the ear-splitting crescendo of sheet piling operations. But relief is at hand. The Building Contractors Association in response to much prodding from E.P.C.O.M. are putting together a programme of self-regulation for the control of construction noise. This will pre-date legal controls, now being drafted, and if properly carried out, will mitigate the most intrusive and persistent sources of noise.
On the Air Pollution side, progress is somewhat slow, while the U.M.E.L.C.O. Group deliberate over the Air Pollution Control Bill passed to it by Executive Council in June last year. This Bill has been under preparation since 1978, seven drafts widely circulated within Government, industry and every other body who might be interested. Perhaps this New Year will see this Bill debated and passed in Legco, and I hope Members of this Council, who also sit in that Chamber, will give it their support. This Bill is necessary to enable the authorities to come to grips with the problem of air pollution now regarded as the most serious of all, by those among the population who are worried about pollution.
Housing
10 Members of this Council now play an active role in the work of the Housing Authority which has in hand some 65 contracts for 123,000 flats at a total cost of nearly $7 billion. One-third of the Government's public works programme
Page 88 of 142
Page 88 of 142
Page 88 of 142
132
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
We, in the Urban Council with our history of 100 years of municipal management, have confidence in and are committed to work for the long-term stability and prosperity for Hong Kong's people and of the Chinese people as a
whole.
Standing for continuity amidst change, the Council will pursue its purposeful adaption to new economic, social and political realities in the decade of the 80's.
I so move.
MR. H. M. G. FORSGATE, VICE-CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL seconded (in English):--Mr. Chairman, in rising to second your motion, may I draw Members' attention to the very intelligent audience we have attracted to this meeting on the first day of our Annual Conventional Debate which was of course quite unconventional which may be a paradox in terms which I am sure they will understand.
Last Friday when I laid the Foundation Stone on the site of the new Western Market Complex, I remarked the rate of progress made by this Council in the 9 years since it received financial autonomy in 1973. This is, you Mr. Chairman have said, our Centenary year and I know the squalid conditions prevailing in 1883 that gave birth to our parent the Sanitary Board have in the most part vanished, certain squatter areas remain to mock at our achievements.
The rapid growth of the population of Hong Kong to over 5 million persons and their growing expectations of higher standard of cleanliness and services, the seemingly insatiable demand for a greater variety of recreational, cultural and other activities, have all strained our financial resources.
Finances
Every year, we seem like Oliver Twist to be returning to Government with outstretched hand asking for more resources to carry out our alloted tasks. However, as you, Mr. Chairman, had pointed out on a number of occasions, the growth in size and cost of the Civil Service, and we are one of the largest employers in that Service, is responsible for our impecuniosity. As our main source of income is derived from our share of the rates, we will remain poised between Scylla and Charybdis, at least until the rates are revised. Hopefully from our point of view in 1984–85.
We are budgeting for a deficit of some $266 million by the end of March 1984. Not that we expect to be as badly off as all that. The P.W.D. have not been able to spend the amount allocated to our capital expenditure projects in the past few years. Perhaps this coming year the P.W.D., who act as our agents in the construction of projects, will confound us. I sincerely hope so, as with the down turn in the property market, building contractors are desperate for work, are cutting their prices to the bone. Now is the time to build and get real value for money. No cut back in capital projects will be made, to avoid the hiatus of a stop and go policy, and to keep our programme of capital works on course.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Perhaps you, Mr. Chairman, could ask the P.W.D. to concentrate a little harder
on our projects.
Environmental Pollution
People are slowly becoming to realize the urgent need of proper control of pollution of the land and water, air and noise. The Environmental Protection Advisory Committee, E.P.C.O.M. for short, has been making this point for many years. Now with the advice and backing of its very professional Environment Protection Agency, staffed by abled and qualified scientists, it is in a position to report some progress.
The quality of the water of the semi-enclosed inland sea bay of Tolo Harbour, was becoming dangerously threatened by severe pollution from land based activities, both domestic and farming, licenced, and unlicenced. However, the Government has now gazetted Tolo Harbour as the 'First Water Control Zone' in Hong Kong. This means that water quality objectives and regulations to prohibit pollution, now under preparation, will give practical effect to the Zone. The Government, which is the largest developer in both Sha Tin and Tai Po, through its housing and industrial estates, recognizing its own responsibilities to handle pollution, has built a large Sewage Treatment Works to cope with the effluent inevitable from this development. This is the first step to deal with water pollution; but there is still a long way to go.
Noise may seem to be endemic to Hong Kong, especially noise associated with development. All of us are only too familiar with the ear splitting crescendo of sheet piling operations. But relief is at hand. The Building Contractors Association in response to much prodding from E.P.C.O.M. are putting together a programme of self regulation for the control of construction noise. This will pre-date legal controls, now being drafted, and if properly carried out, will mitigate the most intrusive and persistant sources of noise.
On the Air Pollution side, progress is somewhat slow, while the U.M.E.L.C.O. Group deliberate over the Air Pollution Control Bill passed to it by Executive Council in June last year. This Bill has been under preparation since 1978, seven drafts widely circulated within Government, industry and every other body who might be interested. Perhaps this New Year will see this Bill debated and passed in Legco, and I hope Members of this Council, who also sit in that Chamber, will give it their support. This Bill is necessary to enable the authorities to come to grips with the problem of air pollution now regarded as the most serious of all, by those among the population who are worried about pollution.
Housing
10 Members of this Council now play an active role in the work of the Housing Authority which has in hand some 65 contracts for 123 000 flats at a total cost of nearly $7 billion. One-third of the Government's public works programme
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