ENG-1960 — Page 342

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SPORT AND RECREATION

thriving archery league. There is some riding and a little coarse fishing, but shooting is poor. Sporting interest of an indirect kind was affected on 1st June, when on a free vote (the official members abstaining) the unofficials in Legislative Council defeated a bill to legalize Football Pool Betting on its second reading.

PARKS, PLAYGROUNDS AND OTHER AMENITIES

The management of parks, playgrounds and similar public amenities is one of the responsibilities of the Urban Council, working through the Urban Services Department. These include the fine beaches on the south side of the Island as well as the walks and look-outs on the hills above the Harbour. Apart from developing these natural attractions, the Urban Council devotes much attention to creating playgrounds and gardens and to other small improvements to the city.

Thousands of city-dwellers flock to the bathing beaches from the beginning of April to the end of October, when 73 fully-trained life-guards of the Urban Services Department are on patrol. Urban Services staff also clean and control the beaches, at two of which a contractor hires out changing-tents. On some other beaches private persons may rent new sites for huts for five years, or may ballot for the privilege of renting huts already built, but only for one year at a time. The provision of refreshments is normally put out to tender and there are cafes or hotels of various standards at the larger beaches. Two new bathing beaches were developed and brought into use during the year, and there are now eleven recognized public beaches in Hong Kong and Kowloon.

Trained staff of the Urban Services Department man First Aid and Resuscitation Posts at all the public beaches, some of them continuously, while the St John Ambulance Brigade also gives a voluntary week-end and public holiday service at a number of the larger beaches. Other special safety measures include areas where pleasure boats are not allowed to enter, and lifelines, rocket guns and special resuscitation equipment are available at certain beaches where there are strong currents or other hazards. Staff training and demonstrations in the Expired Air method of resus- citation have been carried out with a special hygienic rubber mouthpiece.